Mrs Sirius Black
by toomanycurls
Summary: After a long time, chapter 25! Harry meets Sirius' wife and learns alot about his parents and his godfather. First fanfic! Please R&R! PG-13 for language in chpt 4 and future chpts. OoTP spoilers. Beware the suprise in chpt 14!
1. They meet

A/N: This is my First fan fic. I'm so excited. I've thought this story over and I like where it goes. Please read and review and tell me if there are any plotholes. 

Disclaimer type thingy: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the ideas, characters, etc associated with the Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be richer than the queen of England.

Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin dreaded writing this letter, but they didn't want her to find out when the news broke in Mexico.

Dear Rose Black,

I am most aggrieved to tell you, but your husband is dead. Please come to London so that we can give you the details of his passing. You don't need to worry about your work for the Order in Mexico, a replacement will be sent.

Our Deepest Condolences

Albus Dumbledore

Remus Lupin

Dumbledore sent the letter with Fawkes and sighed deeply. He had never known a person to have lost so many loved ones to Voldemort.

"I wish we could explain more." Remus said wishfully.

"She will understand" Dumbledore said sighing deeply.

Fawkes returned within minutes with a reply, "I'm coming." Lupin and Dumbledore went to number 12 Grimmauld Place to await Rose's arrival.

Mrs. Weasley was there with Mr. Weasley. None of their children were there with them. At 9:15 the door opened. For a minute, everyone could just see a silhouette in the rain. It was pouting outside, quite odd since the sky had been clear moments before. 

A witch, who was very dark and very pretty, stepped into view. She had two trunks, one under each arm, and a backpack with her. She dropped her luggage, which was dry, and stepped inside not looking anyone in the face. With a swift hand movement, her things came inside.

"Rose, you're drenched," Lupin said hugging her nonetheless. Rose looked up and 

Lupin noticed that her eyes were blood shot and her cheeks were tear stained. "Come on Rose, why don't you get into some dry clothes?" Lupin kindly prompted.

"No bother," Rose murmured. She rummaged for her wand and preformed a drying spell when she had it in hand.

Remus handed Rose a coffee mug. "Hot chocolate and coffee, your favorite." 

Rose smiled weakly. "Thanks" Everyone including Dumbledore was watching Rose apprehensively. Then Dumbledore spoke up.

"Rose, I need to tell you how your husband died" Dumbledore said mildly.

"Should we go to the dinning room?" Rose asked blankly. No one said anything, but they all headed down stairs.

When they were all seated Dumbledore explained to Rose how Voldemort lured Harry into the Department of Mysteries under the pretenses that Sirius was being held captive and being tortured there. When Sirius figured out that Harry was in a trap, he went to save him. When Sirius arrived, he began to duel the Death Eaters. He was not defeated, he fell through the veil. 

Rose sat silent for a moment, tears streaming down her face.

"Is Harry alright?" Rose asked taking in a sharp breath as if preparing for the worst. 

"Harry in as well as we could hope" Dumbledore told her. 

"He's always been strong." Rose said confidently.

"I agree." Dumbledore paused, waiting for Rose to look him in the eye. "I think that it is time that Harry met his godmother" Dumbledore gave Rose a piercing stare. "Are you ready to do that?"

Rose stared blankly at the table not knowing what to say or think. Mrs. Weasley gave Rose a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. Rose still didn't speak, she looked petrified.

"I think is would be best for Harry to know you and through you could know Sirius _and_ his parents. You are the perfect person to tell him anything he wants to know. Not only that but sharing your memories with Sirius, Lily and James will ease some of the pain you've carried for so long." Dumbledore sat back and waiting for Rose's response. 

It took Rose a moment to find her voice.

"But…But…Harry could hate me…resent me…not know what to think. I…I could make him feel _worse_ about Sirius's death." Rose took a stifled breath.

"Rose, you don't know Harry like we do," Mrs. Weasley began, "When Sirius escaped no one told Harry about Sirius and James because we didn't think Harry could handle. It turned out that he could and he did."

"If I have learned anything from this last year," Dumbledore said with a tone of self-disgust, "It is to trust that people, especially Harry, will have the resilience to handle what life deals him. I believe that if I had told Harry everything at the beginning of last year more than one innocent person would still be alive…"

There was an uncomfortable silence. Then Rose spoke up. "You're right Dumbledore, Harry should know me and I need to be there for him, especially now that Sirius is…" Rose gathered all her will power to complete the sentence. " …is gone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry looked out his window at the downpour outside. If he wasn't so sad about Sirius, he'd be more interested in the abnormal weather. It had been raining since 4 days after his godfather's death.

It was the second week into the summer and Harry was at the Dursley's. He didn't expect to leave for another month or so, that's how it always was. Ron and Hermione had written him several times already. Harry had not written back, he didn't feel like conversing with anyone. 

Harry gazed out the window into the black sky. Then as if out of no where, an owl swooped towards Harry's window. Harry just opened the window in time. A black owl came in and landed on Harry's desk. Harry looked at the owl, it had three white dots angled downward from its left eye.

"You're a pretty bird, aren't you?" It painfully reminded Harry of the exotic birds Sirius had used while on the run. Harry focused on the letter. _Don't think of Sirius,_ he thought angrily. Once Harry realized the letter was from Dumbledore, his spirits rose.

Harry, 

I'm sending Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, and Nymphadora Tonks to pick you up tomorrow at noon. You'll spend the rest of the summer at Head Quarters with the Weasleys and Hermione Granger.

Please send a response promptly.

Albus Dumbledore

Harry was aghast. Dumbledore had never removed him from the Dursley's this early in the summer. Harry wondered what had changed this summer while he wrote 

Dumbledore.

Professor Dumbledore,

I'll be ready when they get here.

Harry

Harry gave the owl the letter and smiled at it as flew off. Harry didn't know that once the owl was out of sight of number 4 it transformed into a beautiful witch that was his godmother.

Harry packed his trunks right away, he wondered if Dumbledore had told the Dursleys. 

When Harry was finished he looked outside and realized it stopped raining. 

"Odd weather lately Petunia" Uncle Vernon said at breakfast. "The weatherman said there wasn't a cloud in the sky before or after the freak rain storm. It ended as suddenly as it began. Boom, one night it starts and two weeks later it stops…." Uncle Vernon droned on for a few minutes about the weather.

When he finally shut up, Harry decided to bring up the whole leaving issue.

"So uhh I got a letter from the headmaster from my school last night…" Harry said carefully.

"So what of it? Did they close the school, did you use…use…you-know-what? Are they going to break your…_thingy_ …into a hundred little pieces?" Uncle Vernon was beside him self with the possibilities. 

"Erm…No. But I'm gong to be picked up at noon today and I'll spend the rest of my summer…" Harry was going to say "my godfather's house" but said "with some people from school" instead.

"Who's 'picking you up'? Not those redheaded bunch?" Uncle Vernon clearly had not forgotten the last time the Weaselys were there.

"No" Harry said coolly, "they introduced themselves to you at the train station…" Harry waited for the memory to register before he continued. "The man in the trench coat, the lady with the pink hair, and the man…with the bowler hat." Harry smiled at the nervous look crawling onto Uncle Vernon's face causing a twitch in his mustache.

"OK. I'll let these _people_ come get you, just as long as they don't destroy the living room or make a whole production for the neighbors to see…" Uncle Vernon rambled on for a while but Harry wasn't listening… He was leaving.

Harry's removal from Privet drive couldn't have gone smoother. Dudley locked himself in his room and Aunt Petunia stayed in the kitchen following Harry, Remus, Moody, and Tonks with her mistrustful gaze.

"Imagine if she had Moody's eye," Tonks laughed as they brought Harry's trunk to the fireplace.

"Isn't the Floo Network being watched?" Harry asked Remus.

"Not since the Ministry realized that Dumbledore was right and they stopped monitoring him, now they're chasing Death Eaters… imagine that…" Lupin smiled at Harry. "You first."

Harry stepped in to the fire and said, "Number 12 Grimmauld place" and before he knew it, he was there. Harry stepped out of the fireplace and realized he was in the dinning room and that Dumbledore was there. 

"Are Ron and Hermione here yet?" Harry asked.

"No, they'll be here this evening." Dumbledore paused a moment, "Harry, will you follow me? Remus and Alastor will handle your trunk." Harry followed Dumbledore. He wondered what this was all about. They went into the study they had cleaned the previous summer. 

When Harry walked in, he saw a witch that looked oddly familiar to him. She had black curly hair, dark skin, and striking eyes. She wore a number on rings on her small hands. One of them was really three rings. The stones the rings lined up to make a diagonal line of stones on her finger.

Once Harry walked in her eyes filled with joy and trepidation. The witch looked tired and grief stricken. She and Harry examined one another from across the room for a minute. 

"Harry, this is your godmother, Rose Black." Dumbledore indicated the witch across the room.

Harry's jaw dropped. He didn't know what he had been expecting but it wasn't this…


	2. Intial Questions are answered

A/N: This is my First fan fic. I'm so excited. I've thought this story over and I like where it goes. Please read, review, and tell me if there are any plot holes. Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Disclaimer type thingy: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the ideas, characters, etc associated with the Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be richer than the Queen of England. 

"Harry, this is your godmother, Rose Black." Dumbledore indicated the witch across the room. Harry's jaw dropped. He didn't know what he had been expecting but it wasn't this. 

Harry did say anything for a moment. ~ _Maybe if I don't say anything Dumbledore will say he was joking… I guess not.~_ Harry thought hopefully.

"If she's Sirius's wife… why haven't I met her before?" Harry shot out as if trying to debunk a national conspiracy. Rose and Dumbledore exchanged looks.

"Harry, that was my doing," Dumbledore explained. "I knew that meeting her would cause questions, questions that I wasn't ready to answer last year. I also thought that Rose's re-emergence would lead the Ministry to Sirius. I feared that meeting Rose would cause Voldemort to feel your feelings again. Voldemort would be angry about Rose's return. I knew that Voldemort would use the his anger to push you further into the Department of Mysteries and lure you into his trap." Dumbledore explained to Harry. 

Harry had been watching this _Rose_ and he was surprised that she didn't flinch at all when Dumbledore said "Voldemort".

"Harry," Rose began cautiously, "I wanted to tell you _so_ much, Sirius wanted to also." 

Rose's eyes filled with tears at the mention of Sirius's name. "Dumbledore didn't want to give Voldemort access to you or the work I've been doing in Mexico."

"But… Sirius he…he never mentioned… no ring … I don't think…." Harry seemed to be searching his memory for some hint that Sirius had been married. ~_Aha!~ _ "Why were you never mentioned in correlation with his escape?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"I've lived in Mexico for nearly 15 years. When he escaped, Dumbledore wrote me and asked if I had been in contact with him. I hadn't so the Minister did not look into it further. Most wizards knew how devastated I was when he was arrested." Rose explained. ~_Please believe me Harry~_ Rose thought as Dumbledore excused himself. Rose knew that Dumbledore was going downstairs to talk to Mrs. Weasley.

"Why didn't you return after Sirius was cleared …well… by Dumbledore at least? Harry asked with a brow raised.

He and Rose were in the room alone now. Both were sitting near the fire in chairs a few feet apart.

"Just because Dumbledore knew he was innocent, didn't mean the Minister did. It's the same reason you couldn't live with him either. Fudge stopped believing Dumbledore and had my job tell him when I missed more than 5 days of work. So, I transferred to the Office of International Wizard Cooperation- yes Harry, Mexico has a Ministry of 

Magic." Rose added seeing Harry's confused look. "That way I could make many trips to 

London without rousing suspicions. I visited him as often as I could."

Harry tried hard to fight it, but he believed Rose. ~_I know I've see her before_~ Harry thought searching his memory banks.

"I know you've been in Mexico since before I can remember, but is there somewhere that I could have seen you? I recognize you for some reason." Harry asked quickly.

Rose grinned; she was relieved that Harry didn't believed her so far. "Yes, there is one place you could recognize me from…" Rose pulled out her wand, summoned a photo album and with a hand movement, it opened to the picture of Lily and James's wedding. Rose handed Harry the album.

Harry noticed Sirius and Rose, they looked happy in the picture. Upon further inspection, Harry noticed that they were holding hands. Rose had all the same rings on. Then it hit Harry. Sirius _did_ wear a ring. He was wearing the ring in the picture. 

Harry couldn't believe he didn't notice before.

"We were married for three months then," Rose looked lovingly at Sirius.

"There was somewhere else…" Harry's voice trailed off. "Snape's memory!" he said excitedly.

"Huh? The one you _had_ to talk to Sirius about?" Rose smiled. Harry could tell she hadn't smiled in a while.

"You were there with my mum. It was after the Defense against the Dark Art's O.W.L." Harry explained. "Sirius winked at you and you…you smiled back… were you two dating then?"

Rose was relieved that Harry seemed to trust her.

"Yeah, kinda. We were a couple. We had dated but we weren't officially going out, but there was an unspoken status there." Harry stared hard at Rose…she sounded like Hermione.

Harry and Rose chatted until there was a knock at the door. It was Tonks. "Hey you two, dinner is ready."

"Good, I'm starved." Rose said. 

Harry gave her a quizzical look. "I didn't eat all day, I was to nervous," She explained.

When Harry, Rose, and Tonks entered the dinning room, the Weasleys, Remus Lupin and Hermione were there. Judging be the looks on their faces, they had been talking about Harry and Rose. 

"Hello everyone," Rose squeaked. Rose sat down next to one of the younger red-haired boys. 

"You must be Ron." Ron nodded not knowing how she knew who he was. "I deduced 

that because you don't have a twin and you're not old enough to be Bill, Charlie, or Percy," Rose explained quickly, realizing that everyone was staring at her with amazement.

Remus chuckled. "Rose and Hermione should get along well." Hermione looked awestruck. Harry smiled at the shocked look on everyone's face, then he realized that he the same look too.

Harry sat down in-between Rose and Fred. Fred gawked at Rose, 

"Sirius told me all about you guys," Rose explained, "And I've known Author and Molly for ages. They've told me about their children of course." Rose trailed off and stared at her plate. ~_This is going nowhere~ _ she thought.

"Let's eat!" Remus said as if Rose always showed such spectacular deductive skills, which she did.

Everyone ate eyeing Rose suspiciously.

"So, Mrs. Black…" Hermione began as she finished her plate of food.

"Call me Rose, Hermione."

"Rose, How did you and Sirius meet?" Hermione asked with a slightly skeptical tone in her voice.

"At Hogwarts of course. We met on the Hogwart's Express. We were in the same year. We weren't best friends or anything, just acquaintances, until…" 

Rose would have continued but Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat loudly.

"I think its time for you all to go to bed- I know I can't force you Fred and George," she said tiredly, "but you all have the rest of the summer to interrogate Rose about she and Sirius or _whatever_ you want to know."

All the kids went to bed begrudgingly, even Fred and George. Harry gave Rose an awkward hug before he went upstairs.

"Remus, I felt like I was on trial, I've never been watched that closely by _anyone_." Rose gasped after the kids had left.

~_You haven't seen yourself dressed up then.~_ Remus thought to himself.

Remus chortled. "Do your emotions still affect the weather and things like that?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"Yes, when I have a really strong emotion." Rose said wondering how that was pertinent to anything right then. "Why?"

"Well it stopped raining the other night when you delivered Harry's letter. I was wonder what caused your happiness." Everyone left at the table was watching the conversation with interest.

"I was looking through some of my stuff, pictures and every thing. I found _these_ with some other things." Rose said pulling out four old pictures. Lupin's jaw dropped.

"**You KEPT _those?_**" He said almost beside himself. Everyone looked startled. 

"Let _us_ see!" Mrs. Weasley squealed like a teenager. Remus went for his wand, but Mrs. 

Weasley was faster from 18 years with Fred and George. Remus watched helplessly as four photos flew through the air into Mrs. Weasley's out stretched hand.

"These are **too** funny! When were these taken?" Mrs. Weasley asked giggling.

"5th year". Remus said pouting.

Mrs. Weasley laughed louder with each picture. The first was of James. He had a baby blanket with him, other than that he slept normally.

The next was of Peter. He was sprawled out and looked like a starfish. 

Sirius had a stuffed black dog nuzzled close to him. Rose remembered how she named it Snuffles in the 6th year.

Remus's picture was by far the funniest. He had kicked his covers off during the night. 

His legs formed a four and his arms were behind his head, like a ballerina.

"Did they really sleep like this?" Tonks asked Rose during her gasps for air.

"That is how we found them." Rose said with mild amusement. 

Rose hoped Harry would be this easy to talk to about everything. Rose knew that some things, like how her emotions affect weather, her ability to do wandless magic, and the overall complexity of her life would be hard to explain.

Not all gatherings in the house that night were as jovial as the one downstairs. Once the kids were upstairs, they congregated in Ron and Harry's room. They were all gathered in a circle sitting on the beds, the floor, or a chair.

"Harry, how do you _know_ that she's Sirius's wife?" Ron asked distrustfully.

"**Look**, I already told you why she and Sirius couldn't tell me. Plus Dumbledore told them not to." Harry reiterated. "She **_showed_** me a picture of them at my parent's 

wedding, it's the same one **I** have." 

Harry rummaged in his trunks for it. "Here. Don't they look like they're 'together'?" he said not knowing how to classify the emotions they were showing in the picture.

"They're in love," Ginny said smiling.

Hermione took the picture. "There's one thing that doesn't make sense to me," Hermione looked at the picture and passing it on. "Why'd she move to Mexico after Sirius was arrested? She could have stayed and looked after you or something."

Harry didn't know how to respond, he hadn't thought of that.

Then it hit him. "Of course, Dumbledore said that my aunt taking me in completed this type of ancient magic that not even Voldemort could get by."

"Yes, but she could have kept in contact with you. She just left." Hermione said with a sad look on her face.

Harry didn't respond. He felt his heart plummet. "We'll ask her in the morning," Harry said resolutely. "Give her a chance. She may seem a bit dodgy, but Dumbledore trusts her."

There was a mummer of consent during which Ron whispered, "Dumbledore also trusts Snape," to Fred.

Please Review. A simple I like it or I don't like it and why would make me happy. Have a nice day!


	3. Why'd you leave?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the commonly recognized characters. 

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

The next morning at breakfast Rose met the same uncomfortable silence. Rose hurried through breakfast to escape the tension. Rose and Harry agreed to meet in the study to talk after they ate. When Rose finished she went up to the study. Harry came up 10 minutes later. Harry sat in the same chair as the previous night.

"Umm… Rose, would it be all right if umm… the others come and er… listen too? They all have questions and they knew Sirius just as well as I did…" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Sure," Rose made hand gesture causing the door to open. When the door opened they saw five teenagers kneeling precariously trying to hide the extendable ears they were using. They all smiled sheepishly. 

Rose pulled out her wand, every one flinched, and she conjured 5 extra chairs, they let out a collective sigh of relief. They all sat down silently. Remus came in at that time and started to look through photo albums and trunks.

"Remus, how long will you be?" Rose asked watching him with great amusement.

Remus straightened up and replied, "I shouldn't be too long, but when I'm done is it alright if I listen too?"

Rose nodded. "You'd think I was giving out galleons or something…"

Rose looked expectantly at the six eager faces; waiting for the bombardment to begin. Harry didn't feel like beating around the bush.

"Why did you disappear after Sirius went to Azkaban?" Harry asked right away. Rose was slightly taken aback, but answered promptly.

"I didn't leave right away. I remained for quite some time. What you have to realize is that I didn't like the idea of Sirius risking his life by being the Secret keeper, but I realized that he was James' best friend, more like a brother." Rose took in a deep breath, these were painful memories.

"That's what brothers do for one another. When Voldemort killed Lily and James, I knew that Sirius must have told Voldemort where they were. When Sirius didn't come home after their deaths, I was distraught." ~ _Distraught is an understatement…~_ Rose thought reflectively.

"I thought I was married to a Death Eater and didn't know it. My fears were confirmed when Sirius was sent to Azkaban for killing those people. Barty Crouch questioned me. He said I was the stupidest witch _ever_. He thought I should have known that Sirius was a death eater. He couldn't find any evidence that I was a Death Eater. I still wanted to fight Voldemort so he didn't trial me. I knew I wasn't as trusted as I had been because of my name. 

"However, the Longbottoms and Dumbledore still trusted me. The Longbottoms let me live with them after Sirius went to Azkaban. I tried to find work, but no one wanted to hire a witch that couldn't recognize a Death Eater. Alice tried to cheer me up all the time. She'd say that not even Moody would have suspected Sirius." Rose smiled remembering how nice Alice was.

"After a few months Dumbledore needed me to do something for the Order. He wanted me to watch the Longbottom's son, Neville, so they could hunt for Voldemort. I did. When they were gone, well you know what happened." Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded, but Fred, George, and Ginny looked utterly confused. "A group of Death Eaters found the Longbottoms and tortured them until they went insane. They're still in St Mungo's. 

" I couldn't bear it. Dumbledore tried to convince me to stay, he even offered me a job at Hogwarts at the Defense against the Dark Arts professor. I couldn't go back to Hogwarts. I wanted to be there for Harry, but I started to think it through. My husband had betrayed Lily and James. I was sure that Harry would hate me." Rose voice cracked, Harry noticed that she was crying.

"I hated me. I kept asking myself I could be so blind, so stupid. I convinced my self that Sirius never loved me. He was acting on Voldemort's orders. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to spite me. Deep down, I knew that it was a lie, but that lie kept me going. I told Dumbledore that I was going to live in Mexico. No one knew me there. I could work for the Mexican Ministry of Magic."

Harry interrupted Rose for the first time, "How'd you learn Spanish?" Everyone looked as if they'd been wondering the same thing. 

"This always amazes me…" Remus muttered. Remus was sitting in a chair he conjured. He had either found or given up on finding whatever he was searching for. 

"While I was at Hogwarts I took classes that Muggles normally take in school. During my last 4 years, I took classes that Muggles take at Universities. I chose to study Spanish because my dad was Mexican-American. We lived in Washington State. I got my letter there." Rose added, she really missed Washington.

Rose grinned as six jaws hit the ground. 

"Does that sum up why I 'disappeared' after Sirius went to Azkaban?" Rose asked trying conceal the hurt in her voice. No one answered, Harry looked ashamed to have brought up such painful memories.

"You got a letter from Hogwarts, when you lived half way across the world?" Hermione asked breath taken. "You must be _really_ powerful." Rose didn't respond to that, she didn't like to brag- a lot.

"Why did you-know-who come after you?" Fred asked.

"I don't know _why_ he sent two Death Eaters after me. I was about to enter my 7th year and my dad and I were in London for the summer. One night two Death Eaters came and told me to join Voldemort or die. I did neither. I lost my temper and well…uh…." Rose tried to think how to put the next part.

"One thing you have to understand is that when I feel a powerful emotion, anger, hate, love, it shows in magical ways. I was angry, beyond angry. I was totally opposed to Voldemort. The Death Eater said that Voldemort would forget my bad blood, if I joined him. Well, the Death Eaters were thrown backwards and knocked out. 

"When they woke up, they didn't remember much. I told them to go back to Voldemort and sing 'If you're happy and you know it clap your hands' five times. Dumbledore wasn't pleased about that. My dad went back to the US after that, I stayed with James and Sirius for the rest of the summer."

"So, that rain storm…" Ginny began. "Was that you?"

"Yeah", Rose blushed.

"That was all over England!" George said aghast. 

"It was _huge_!" Ron said, his eyes the size of quarters.

"I lost my true love for the second time in my life." More uncomfortable silence ensued. "Lets go for a walk. We could do with some fresh air."

They all got up and went downstairs. "Molly, we're taking a walk. We'll be back for lunch" Rose said.

They came back an hour later. Everyone was hungry. Half through lunch Remus reached into his pocket and got a picture out. "I think you'll want to see _this_, Molly." Remus handed Mrs. Weasley the photo.

"Ohh, this is cute." Mrs Weasley looked at the picture of Rose sleeping on a couch. "What's that around your neck?" 

"_That_ is my baby blanket. I fell asleep in the common room and Lily brought it to me." Rose said. Rose always slept with her baby blanket.

"Why do you have a picture of Rose sleeping?" Harry asked. "Is _that_ what you were looking for this morning?"

"Yes he was." Rose said reaching into her robes. She showed the kids the pictures of Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus sleeping.

"Come on, binky is worse than how I slept." Remus interjected. Everyone laughed. Remus' picture was far worse.

"You guys started it." Rose said.

"What's 'binky'?" Ron asked.

"Binky is my baby blanket." Rose explained. "When Lily heard what they did she swore to me that she thought I'd be awake before anyone got up. I got my revenge as you can see."

"How'd you do it?" Hermione asked bemused

Rose grinned mischeviously. "I bided my time. One day, after a Quidditch match, Gryfindor wasn't playing, but Slytherin lost. I graciously offered the boys some butterbeer that contained a time released sleeping potion. One that only took affect _after_ they went to sleep. I snuck into the boy's dorm with Lily, Emma, and Maggie around 3am and took the pictures. They woke up because they didn't finish all the potion." Rose had a look of pure joy on her face.

" We ran like crazy. Once we reached the girl's dorm we were safe. They tried to follow us, but he staircase turned into a slide. We developed the pictures and sent them each a copy." Remus didn't look happy at all.

"You also included a note that said copies would be sent to the 'Prophet' and would be printed in a few days." Remus said remembering the embarrassment.

"The best part was that Peter knew what was happening, but he couldn't say a word." Rose laughed out each word.

"How did _he_ know?" George asked incredulously. 

"Well, we didn't know it was Peter, but a rat would visit our dorm frequently." Rose said. Hermione's nose crunched up in disgust as she realized where this was going. 

"He was our little rat friend." Rose said simply.

"I know how _that_ goes." Ron said bitterly.

"We were walking around in our knickers, looking for some crackers we had for him when I divulged my plan for revenge. When we executed the plan he couldn't do a thing because he'd have to explain how he knew. Then we would know that it was him, not a rat in our room all the time." Rose had a look of utmost disgust on her face.

All the girls in the room shuttered at the thought of Wormtail watching them dress. 

"Did he do that the _whole_ time he was an animigus at school?" Harry asked with a furious look on his face. He didn't like the idea of Wormtail seeing his mum in her underwear or less.

"No," Rose assured them. "It ended at the end of that year."

"How?" George asked. He didn't want the story to end.

"We were celebrating the end of the OWLS…

~ flash back ~

All the 5th years were rejoicing. Sirius, James, and Remus suggested that they all go swimming in the lake. Dumbledore had a section open for swimming.

Rose was sitting next to the window reading, when Sirius walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around her. Rose breathed him in, he smelled great.

"You're reading. I'm shocked." Sirius said sarcastically. He didn't wait for a response. He knew that Rose read all the time. "Do you want to go with James, Remus, Peter, and I to the lake? You could bring Lily, Emma, and Maggie." He asked.

"Sure," Rose shut her book and turned to look Sirius in the eyes. "I'll get them to come." Sirius gave Rose a kiss on the cheek and went to change. Rose went to the girl's room.

"Hey Lily, Mag, Emma." Rose said to her friends accordingly. "Do you guys want to come to the lake and swim? The guys will be there."

"Not if the 'guys' includes James Potter!" Lily spat viscously. 

"Come on Lil" Emma pleaded. "It'll be fun, besides, it's sweltering." Emma swooned dramatically.

"OH alright." Lily heaved her trunk open and grabbed her swimsuit.

In 25 minutes they were by the lake. The guys were already there.

"Get lost?" James asked ruffling his hair and winking at Lily.

"Since when has there been a changing room here?" Rose asked loudly, changing the subject so Lily wouldn't get too annoyed with James.

"Dumbledore had it built for the occasion." Remus said. Prefects were privy to this type of knowledge.

"Last one in is a troll!" Sirius yelled running for the lake. Rose couldn't help but notice that Sirius' muscles rippled nicely in the water.

Rose went in up to her knees and turned to face the shore. She laughed as Peter tried to get his shoes off in time; he was the last one in by 5 minutes. 

Sirius snuck up behind Rose and before Rose knew what was happening Sirius had her by the waist and was dragging her into the water.

Rose kicked and screamed, not really trying to get free. Sirius was tickling her _one_ ticklish spot. When Sirius loosened his grip, Rose dunked him under the water. Sirius gazed at Rose from under the water.

~_I need to take this view more often… wow.~_ Sirius thought lewdly. Sirius decided Rose should get a taste of her own medicine so he grabbed her by the knees causing her to go under with him. Sirius marveled at how strong her legs were. 

When they both emerged from the water James chucked a ball at them and shouted, "Water Volleyball!"

They played for a few hours, then the girls decided to change and return to the castle. When they were changing in the new changing room, Rose noticed something. 

"Hey its Buttercup. What's he doing here?" Rose wondered out loud

"That is strange" Maggie commented.

"Why do you refer to _Buttercup_ as boy?" Emma asked.

"Well, Lily named him Buttercup, so that's what I call him. I think it's a boy because male rats usually go out and scavenge for food." Rose said matter-of-factly.

Rose was still thinking about Buttercup during dinner that night. "You know what's weird, Sirius?" Rose asked.

"You have 13 toes?" James offered.

"NO, I don't. There's a rat that comes to our dorm room a lot. He's been coming since this fall. Only to the dorm, I've never seen him anywhere else, Until today. He was in the changing room by the lake." Rose said.

"He- it's been there when you're changing?" James asked, his whole demeanor had changed. Rose nodded. James, Sirius and Remus exchanged significant looks. 

"Anyway," Rose said mistaking their angry looks as imaginative looks. "We saw Buttercup, Lily named him, in the changing room by the lake. It was odd, that's all. Where's Peter gone to?" Rose asked noticing that Peter had left at the beginning of the conversation.

"We should go look for him, right Padfoot, Prongs?" Remus asked. They all got up. "If you see Buttercup again, bring him to us, we want to see." Remus added. The boys left.

"Where should we look for the git?" Sirius asked in a deadly voice. Git was a term he normally reserved for Snape. Sirius was furious that Wormtail had seen more of his girlfriend than he had.

"Probably in the dorm room." Remus said laughing coldly. "He has dung for brains." James nodded, he was too angry to speak.

"Well, Prongs, Moody, what should we do first?" Sirius asked viciously. 

No one saw Peter until noon the next day. He had two black eyes and was limping.

"Peter! What happened?" Lily asked concernidly when she saw him.

"Nothing", Peter muttered at his shoes. James had told him that if he even so much as looked at Lily, he would feed him to Remus on the next full moon.

"You shoud tell Sirius, James, and Remus who did this." Rose told him showing concern for her least favorite Gryfindor.

~End Flash back~

"We didn't see Buttercup again…" Rose said in a fake sad voice.

Harry was glad that he was spending the summer with Rose. He could ask anything he wanted.

Later, at dinner Remus told Harry that he had to do Occulmency again.

"I don't want _Snape_ to teach me again!" Harry yelled. Harry blamed Snape for Sirius' death.

"Don't worry about that. I'm your Occulmency teacher now." Rose said happily. "I learned Occulmentry with Professor Snape in my 7th year."

"How will you continue once Harry returns to school?" Fred asked.

"I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Rose explained.

Fred and George were jealous, they'd love to have a teacher like Rose.

After dinner Rose went to bed. The bed still smelled like Sirius. "I miss him." Roes thought repeatedly. She cried silently as she tried to focus on the Order meeting tomorrow evening.

A/N: I know it's a long chapter, but I didn't want to break up the story too much.

Review!!!

****


	4. Lily and James explained and disOrder

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the major characters there in.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Everyone ate breakfast quickly the next morning. Ron and Harry looked tired, they had been talking into the night. Mrs. Weasley told them all that she expected them to do homework after lunch. They all returned to the study and waited for Rose. 

Rose walked in and was surprised that they were all there again. "I should sell tickets tomorrow." Rose joked heading towards her chair hot chocolate and coffee in hand. 

"So, how did my parents get together? I mean how'd they make the transition from mortal enemies to married couple?" Harry asked as soon Rose was seated.

"Lily was attracted to James from the beginning", Rose explained. "But she never went for looks alone."

~ flashback, starts in 5th year after OWLs~

"Lily, you like him. Why don't you date him?" Maggie asked.

"We've been over this a _hundred_ times. I don't and won't date an arrogant know nothing!" Lily said in a huff, falling onto her bed.

"Lily, everyone knows you're brilliant, just like Rose", Emma added smirking, "You and James would…balance out." Lily sat up and gave Emma a 'that is such BS' death glare that rivaled Rose's.

"James is cute…BUT" Lily said over the giggles. "But, he's too immature."

Rose sighed. Lily didn't know how much James loved her. He didn't know how to express his feelings in a non-"I'm an arrogant jerk" way. Sirius acted the same way until the Halloween Ball that year.

Rose knew that James liked Lily because a few days earlier Sirius told Rose how James writes L.E. on his homework and talks about Lily nonstop. James overheard and told Rose how Sirius doodles R.B. all over _his _homework. This made Rose happy, although James had gone on and said it stood for "Remus Black". Rose knew the truth.

Rose decided to help James, he needed it.

Next September, on the Hogwarts Express, Rose had her chance to begin. Remus and Lily were in the prefects cabin so Rose, Sirius, James and Peter were in a cabin together. 

"Lily won't even look at me!" James agonized to his friends.

"James", Rose said in a sharp voice. "She would like you if you weren't so arrogant and acted half as smart as you are." James looked so surprised he could've passed for a kid whose balloon popped.

"Well, how am I suppose to change?" James whined playing with his wand.

"One thing would be to stop bragging about yourself 24/7, don't mess your hair up, it doesn't need it, and don't make it sound like you're doing her a favor by talking to her." Rose said in one breath. James looked as if he was receiving instructions on breathing.

"Hope you're taking notes, Prongs." Sirius laughed.

Rose gave Sirius an icy "You could improve a little too" look.

"I made a charm that will help you not mess with your hair. Every time you, and only you James, touch your hair, you'll receive a shock similar to the one that electric eels give off." Rose explained.

"That should work eh, Prongs?" Peter said nervously, he still wasn't looking at Rose for fear of Padfoot.

"I made another one that forms a pimple on your back every time you brag about yourself. If you brag too much, the word braggart will form across your back." Rose said staring hard at James. James looked petrified. 

"You've given this a lot of thought haven't you?" James said meekly.

"Well, I think that you and Lily make a good couple." Rose said briskly. "Do you want me to do the charms or not?" Roes asked taking out her wand. James nodded. Roes preformed the charms. "I'll lift them at the end of the year."

Rose continued with her lecture on 'how to act in a way that will impress Lily'. 

Twenty minutes later Rose buried her head into Sirius's chest out of frustration. "This is impossible." She muttered.

Lily and Remus walked in then.

"He's finally gotten to you then?" Lily asked indicating James. 

"Hey Lily, How are you?" James asked nicely. Before Lily could answer, James let out a stream of swear words, he had ruffled his hair.

"Are you alright there, Prongs?" Remus asked concernedly as James cradled his maimed hand.

"He's FINE Moony", Sirius said mouthing "I'll explain when they leave." Remus didn't ask any more questions.

"Rose, _Let's_ go." Lily didn't know what was going on and didn't want to know. She took Rose by the arm and led her out of the compartment. Rose broke away and gave Sirius a kiss before she left, "See you."

Before Rose's eyes, all the disgust Lily felt for James ebbed away. Lily noticed a change in James over the next few months. Lily and James would go off together and were spending more and more time together. Rose encouraged Lily to ask James out, but Lily wanted James to ask her out.

Rose wished in her heart that Sirius would ask her to be his girlfriend. She knew that she was, but he never asked her. Everyone knew that they were a couple, but she wanted everyone to know they were dating. 

James finally asked Lily out in early December. James managed to be quite romantic when he tried. Rose congratulated herself on the accomplishment. Rose had only counted 12 times that James burnt his hand and the letter B was on his back. Rose was overjoyed when Sirius officially asked Rose out halfway through November. Rose guessed that Sirius had picked up on a few things from all those lectures Rose gave to James. 

~ End Flash Back ~

"That was really cool how you helped James." Ginny said. "_Some_ guys need all the help they can get." Ginny jerked her head towards Ron, who was in front of her couldn't see what she was doing. Hermione silently agreed with Ginny. 

"Lunch" Mrs. Weasley said from the door, she had been listening for a while. 

They all went downstairs for a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup.

"Rose, what kind of job did you do in Mexico?" Ron asked threw his mouthfuls of food.

"I was an Auror until Sirius was proven innocent. Then I transferred into the Department of International Wizard Cooperation." Rose said off handily. Hermione's mind was still on Rose and Sirius.

"When did Sirius finally ask you out?" Hermione asked.

"He asked me during the 6th year on my birthday, November 20th. It was quite romantic actually." As Rose said the last part all the boys groaned. They didn't want to hear a bunch of fluff. Rose made a mental note to tell Hermione and Ginny about it when the guys weren't around.

Everyone did their homework. Fred and George enjoyed watching everyone else worked. Ron and Harry didn't concentrate hard on their work, Hermione acted as if it was all due the next day.

Rose spent the afternoon in her room, preparing her briefing for the Order meeting that evening. Around 4:45, Rose looked at her watch and realized that the meeting was going to start soon.

Rose entered the dining room and saw that Remus, Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Mundungus, and Tonks were already there. Rose sat between Bill and Remus. They were talking happily when Kinsley and Moody came in. 

"Now all we only need Albus, Severus, and Minerva." Arthur said. Right when he finished they walked in. Rose glanced at Snape, she hated him, but contained her hatred.

Rose was giving a report on the wizards in the Mexican Ministry that believed that Voldemort was back when se heard Snape mutter something.

"Say something Severus?" Rose looked down at him (she was standing up to give her talk).

"Just that it's jolly-good of you to come and back us fully now that _everyone_ knows that the Dark Lord is back." Snape said coolly.

At that moment Rose looked as happy as someone whose Jiffy-Pop wasn't popping. "I was in Mexico GATHERING INFORMATION FOR **_OUR_** SIDE!" Rose shouted. ~_You_ *insert swear words here*~ Rose thought maliciously. 

Snape was on his feet now. "Hiding out like your hubby I supose?" His voice was venomous. 

"Sirius **_died_** for the Order…. At least _he_ was never **VOLDEMORT'S _BITCH_**!" Rose screamed, emphasizing the last two words. 

Fred and George were watching the argument with wide-eyed wonder, they were waiting for Dumbledore to intervene. 

"I have been RISKING MY LIFE WHILE YOUR HUSBAND SAT ON HIS…" Snape didn't finish the sentence because Rose had punched him square in the nose, causing Snape to fall over backwards.

Snape stood up quickly, reaching for his wand, he was too late. Rose had her wand square between his eyes. Everyone at the table could see the trepidation in Snape's eyes. ~_Say something fast….~ _Severus thought franticly.

"You don't learn do you? You _HAVE_ to piss me off when I loose people I love? Do you _like_ getting the crap beat out of you?" Rose wand was emitting sparks.

"I wasn't trying to make you mad when your dad died!" Snape said, as if pleading for his life. "I though you and Sirius were snogging by the lake that day. I was going to say 'your daddy wouldn't approve of such behavior'. I didn't know your dad had been murdered, I wasn't at breakfast that day."

Despite of this potentially dangerous situation, Remus was amused at the memory of Snape being cast into a body bind and sent to the lake, he was the squid's play toy for half and hour.

Dumbledore decided to stop the argument before Rose killed Snape. "Rose, Severus SIT DOWN." He said sternly. "I realize that you two have… contentions, but I must ask members of my teaching staff and more importantly, the Order, to contain outbursts of hatred towards one another. If we allow such wedges between us, it will give Voldemort open access to us and our work. I hope since I let you two have a row now, I can expect civilized behavior from now on?" 

Rose and Severus nodded ashamedly. Severus was trying to stop the flow of blood that was streaming from his nose. George Weasley handed him what looked like a purple toffee. "It will stop the nosebleed, Professor." Severus took it begrudgingly. 

The rest of the meeting went smoothly. Snape left as soon as the meeting was over. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny passed them on their way to the dinning room.

"What happened to Professor Snape?" Hermione asked. "His nose was swollen, it looked like he had been punched."  
  
"What happened down here?" Ron asked. "We heard shouting…" He looked around for answers.

"Nothing happened, just the meeting." Mrs. Weasley lied.

After dinner, Fred and George ushered Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny upstairs to tell them what happened. 

"I like her more and more every day." Harry said, fixing that image in his mind. "That should last me through a year of potions. Whenever he acts cruel, I'll think of my godmother punching him in the nose…" Harry and Ron had misty eyed looks on their faces.

Rose lingered downstairs to talk to Dumbledore, she wanted to apologize for her temper.

"Headmaster," Rose began with her face downcast. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't let Severus get to me." Rose was still speaking to the floor.

Dumbledore lifted her chin so they were eye to eye. "Severus should learn not to egg on a witch he knows can out power him." Dumbledore said smiling. Rose was relieved.

"I do ask that you don't do anything during the school year that could undermine his authority as a teacher, I will ask him to have the same courtesy for you. If you'll excuse me, I must return to Hogwarts and make sure he is alright, if you two do duel again, sell tickets, it would bring in a lot of revenue." Dumbledore smiled as he said the last part so did Rose. They bid goodbye then Dumbledore and McGongall left. 

Rose went to bed soon after that, she wasn't feeling well, she hadn't felt well in a while. 

Rose fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down. About five minutes after Rose was asleep, Sirius came in and sat down next to her. He took her hand in his and gazed at Rose longingly. He brushed a stray curl from her elegant face. 

"I miss you," he said softly.

"I miss you too." Rose replied sleepily. Sirius put his free hand on Rose's soft face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Sirius looked tired, but happy to be there.

"You still sleep with that binky," Sirius chuckled. 

"And Snuffles". Rose said correcting him.

"You're more beautiful than the last time I saw you." Sirius whispered. Rose reached for Sirius's hand on her cheek. She woke up. Rose realized it was her hand in her cheek. 

~ _It must have been a dream. It was a nice dream…_~ Rose thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Rose slept soundly for the rest of the night.


	5. Unexpected announcment

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the known characters in the story.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Rose wanted to talk to Molly about something Molly had a lot of experience in. She waited for a few days to make sure she wasn't imagining things r under the weather. One morning, Rose woke up early to talk to Molly. Molly was in the kitchen when Rose went downstairs.

"Morning, Molly. Can I ask you something?" Rose asked right away.

"Yes dear, anything." Molly said maternally. She and Rose sat at the table together.

Rose took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say.

"I…I think I'm pregnant. Sirius and I were…together 3 days before he died and well…uhh…I haven't had my 'time of the month'. It's two weeks late." Rose said shyly.

"That's great, Rose. This is your first child?" Rose nodded. "Of course, I knew that. Are you still going to teach?"   
  
"Of course, it's just that… " Rose was starting to feel embarrassed. "I don't know what to expect or what to do and… I'm scared." 

Mrs. Weasley took Rose's hand in a motherly way. "You'll do fine. You just need to go the St. Mungo's and have a healer look at you. They'll tell you if you have anything to worry about. When you have your baby, I'll be there to help you." 

Mrs. Weasley continued to tell Rose what to expect during pregnancy until everyone showed up for breakfast.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were in high spirits today. Evidently, Snape was still on their mind, it was the first time in 5 years that Harry could think of the Potion's Master and be happy. Fred and George came in just after the other four. 

"Got to eat fast, Mum," Fred said as he grabbed some toast an put jam on it.

"We've got to go to work you know." George said with a full mouth of food and strawberry jam on his cheek. "We'll be home for dinner." Fred and George left without another word.

"Do you think we should have told George he had jam on his cheek?" Ron wondered aloud, smirking. Everyone erupted into peals of laughter. 

"Rose, what did you do for fun at Hogwarts?" Harry had been wondering this for a while; so far, he'd heard plenty about studying and rare moments of fun.

Rose thought for a moment…"Truth or Dare." Harry looked confused. "Haven't you _ever_ played truth or dare?" Rose couldn't believe that Harry hadn't played it. ~_what do these kids to for fun_?~ She wondered. 

"Truth or Dare is a game in which a group of persons takes dares to do something or is forced to tell the truth about something. It's really fun. I remember one time on the Hogwart's Express…"

~ Flashback Hogwart's Express 7th Year~

Rose and Sirius were sitting very close together, across from them James and Lily were doing the same. Remus was sitting next to James and Peter was sitting next to Sirius. Emma and Maggie had just joined the game.

"Remus, Truth or Dare." Rose said smiling, she had a good dare.

"Dare", Remus boldly.

"Kiss the FIRST person you see outside our compartment." Rose said triumphantly. 

Remus stood up, straightened out his robes and opened the door. The lady with the refreshment cart was right outside the door. 

Remus took in a deep breath and stepped outside. No one could see exactly what happened, but they all could hear a very frightened lady scream, "Off you cretin! Back, Back" Remus returned grinning broadly. 

"I hope no one was hungry, I don't think she'll be back…" Remus looked around to choose his victim. "Hmm… Prongs, Truth or Dare." James naturally chose dare. "I dare you to kiss a girl in the room. OTHER than Lily." (Most of the dares included kissing someone.)

James stood up and looked around. He walked over to Rose and Sirius. To everyone's surprise, he kissed Sirius on the forehead. The whole compartment filled with laughter.

"I said a GIRL!" Remus refuted.

"Well, you can see how long his hair is getting, it was an honest mistake." James joked, poking fun at Sirius's chin length hair. James was looking for his target.

"Wormtail…truth or dare." Peter chose dare, mainly because the previous two involved kissing, something he rarely got to do. "I dare you to de-pants the first person that walks by our door."

Peter gulped. Emma opened the door. Peter moved close to the door so he'd have a clear shot. After a few tense minutes, Snape walked by. Peter lunged forward and yanked hard at Snape's pants before he could react, he was revealing his faded black boxers again. 

~ End Flashback ~

…Rose didn't tell anyone there that Snape was the student Peter had de-pants, that would _definitely_ undermine his authority as a teacher. 

"We would also use Truth or Dare to squeeze information out of each other. Everyone found out that Sirius and I were engaged through a game of truth or dare…"

~ Flashback 7th year~

James, Lily, Remus, Peter, Sirius, Rose, Emma, and Maggie were sitting by the fire late one night after the Christmas holiday. It was James' turn. James looked around at his friends.

"Padfoot, Truth or Dare?" James was grinning. Sirius did something unexpected and chose truth.

"Hmm…" James had to think. "OK, We all know that you've been writing RB on your papers forEVER, what exactly does it stand for?" James wanted Sirius to admit that he'd been writing Rose's initials on his homework for ages.

"Well," Sirius said taking a deep breath, looking at Rose. "It use to stand for Rose Becerra." Everyone looked shocked, ~ _Had it changed?_ ~ They all wondered.

"Now, or in five months time, it will stand for Rose Black." Everyone's jaw dropped. James looked incredulous. 

"Why didn't you tell me, Padfoot? We're friends." James asked, he sounded genuinely hurt. 

"I'm sorry, Prongs. I, we didn't want to tell anyone for a while, we were going to tell soon. We were waiting until we had an opportune time." Sirius' eyes begged for forgiveness from his friend.

"It's OK, Padfoot." James said after a minute. Then he smiled, "As long as we're all invited to the wedding…" 

~ End Flashback ~

"…and of course they were." Rose finished smiling. "Sirius and James never stayed mad at each other for long. It wasn't all fun and games though, sometimes truth or dare revealed a lot about a person." Rose said remembering one of the more serious games of truth or dare.

~ Flashback late 7th year ~

Lily, James, Rose, Sirius, Peter, Maggie, and Emma were sitting by the fire. Through a long line of questions, they landed on the topic of Voldemort.

"James, would you serve Voldemort if he threatened a loved one's life?" Maggie asked. James didn't hesitate long before answering.

"NO. Everyone I love would understand that Voldemort could never get my allegiance, even if he threatened the lives of everyone here. If I were to go over to his side, I'd be signing someone's death warrant." James looked somber. 

"Rose, what would you do if someone you knew and loved was a death eater?" James asked He really wanted to know, he had seen Rose's temper.

Rose didn't hesitate at all. "I would find them and put them through the pain they caused me. I would turn them into the dementers without a second thought. Then, I would kick myself for associating with such scum and not knowing it." Nobody in the room doubted that Rose would do that.

"Peter, would you sacrifice your life to save a friend's life?" Rose's stare pierced Peter in the worst way.

Peter squirmed like he had a horny Flobberworm in his shorts.

"I..." Peter's voice cracked. "I would fight to ...er ...protect my friend" Peter's voice cracked again. He scratched his left arm compulsively.

"Sirius, would you die to protect your friends?" Peter asked pushing the spotlight off him. Sirius gripped Rose's hand tighter before he answered.

"I would, if the circumstance came up. If I had to pick a way to die, it would be either to go down in flames or to die old, with the person I love." Sirius looked thoughtful... 

~ End Flashback ~

"We learned a lot about one another that night." Rose said delicately. Harry decided that Rose needed to think about something else.

"Rose, do you think we could go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" Harry asked, he figured a trip to Fred and George's store would do her some good, besides Harry wanted to go also.

"Well, Molly will have to take you, I'm going to St. Mungo's. I don't know how long It'll take." Rose didn't want to tell them like this.

"WHAT?" Giinny and Hermione half yelled. "Why are you going there?"

"You're not _sick_ are you?" Ron asked concernedly.

Harry didn't say anything. ~ _Figures_, _I meet my godmother, I like her, and she's gonna die or something._ ~ Harry thought pessimistically. 

"I'm fine, I'm not dying. I'm pregnant." Rose said quickly. She didn't want to leave them in too much suspence. Harry gave Rose a long hug. Harry couldn't be happier for her.

"When's the baby due?" Harry asked excitedly.

"In February, around the 4th." 

"Can you _feel_ it?" Hermione asked. She didn't have any experience with babies.

"Not yet, when I do, I'll tell you guys"

"Are you still teaching?" Ginny asked, she didn't want another teacher.

"Of course, I'll teach until I physically can't."

Rose told everyone at dinner. Fred and George said that this gave them a new idea for a joke line. Lupin offered his full support in any way that Rose needed it. Rose could think of one thing she needed.

"Hey Remus, I think I'll take you up on your offer." Rose said after she and Remus were alone later.

"Anything Rose" ~_I would do anything for you, you're amazing_ ~ Remus thought dreamily.

"Could you substitute for me when I have the baby? I don't think the students will want Severus for _two_ classes. And I'll need your help during the first week too…" Rose explained her lesson for the 6th and 7th years.

"Of course." Remus said automatically. ~_That's all? I guess I'll start small... Friends first and foremost... always a friend _~ Remus thought downheartedly.

Sirius visited Rose that night again. He walked into the room and kneeled by her bed. He put his hand on her stomach, right over where the baby was.

"Hey there. We're finally having a baby. I'm glad I finally gave you what you wanted. I'm sorry I can't be there to help you raise our child." Sirius said looking as sad as he sounded. He laid his head on Rose's torso. Rose stroked his head lovingly.

"I didn't mind the wait. I'll make sure our child knows his father. It's going to be a boy, I know it." Rose replied tiredly. "He'll be the most handsome guy in his year."

"Not to mention the smartest" Sirius added.

Rose smiled. Rose tried to put her hand on Sirius' shoulder, but she hit the blanket instead and woke up. Rose squinted to see, she normally wore contacts and was very blind without them. She realized that she was stroking Snuffles, Sirius's stuft dog, not Sirius. 

"Rose you have to get a grip." She muttered to herself.

A/N: That's all for now. Next time Rose goes to St. Mungo's to see if the baby is healthy. Hermione and Ginny (and you) get to hear how Sirius and Rose's relationship evolved. Going from their 4th year to when he asked her to be his girlfriend (6th). 


	6. At St Mungo's

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Mrs. Weasley agreed to take the kids to Diagon Alley that Friday while Rose went to St Mungo's.

That morning Rose woke up early. She went downstairs to make herself breakfast before she went to St. Mungo's. Hermione and Ginny were already down there with Mrs. Weasley. Rose could hear them talking.

"Girls, you can go _if_ Rose says it's OK." Mrs. Weasley said sternly. Hermione and Ginny swarmed Rose once they say her.

"Rose can we go with you to St. Mungo's? _Please!_" Hermione and Ginny asked in unison. 

"Sure," Rose said at once. "Don't you want to go to Diagon Alley?" Rose asked.

"Not really, we can do that anytime, it'll be more fun to have a girls day, so to speak." Ginny said smiling. She and Hermione wanted to hear about Sirius and Rose's romantic relationship more than they wanted to hear Harry and Ron go on and on about Quidditch.

Rose consulted her watch and decided they should leave since they'd take the Underground now. "Well, let's go. It takes a bit longer on the Underground."

Mrs. Weasley saw them to the door. Harry and Ron said a quick goodbye too. They couldn't understand why Hermione and Ginny would rather go to St. Mungo's that Diagon Alley.

They made it to the Underground in fifteen minutes. "Rose, could you tell us about you and Sirius?" Hermione asked grinning. "We want to know how you two moved from acquaintances to boyfriend and girlfriend." Hermione and Ginny were smiling widely now, they loved romantic stories.

"I guess our relationship began in the 4th …." Rose began.

~ Flashback 4th year ~

"…Besides, I think that dating would interfere with school work…"Lily finished, she had been telling Rose why they shouldn't have dates for the Yule Ball. Both of them were pretty and had been asked by several promising guys.

James Potter had asked Lily twice a day since the notice about the ball went up. James decided that if he couldn't go with Lily, he'd go stag and so would his best friend Sirius.

"Prongs, I already have a date." Sirius pleaded. "I don't want to go solo."

"Padfoot, think about." James said in a coaxing voice, sitting next to his best friend. "If you bring a girl, you're stuck with her, but if you go by yourself _all_ the girls are available." James explained.

"All right, all right. Susan won't be happy." Sirius left the dorm room to find his date and returned 5 minutes later with a red handprint across his face. Sirius wasn't too upset, Susan wasn't the girl he wanted to go with anyway.

The dance crept up fast. James and Sirius weren't worried about getting too dressed up.

Rose and Lily, on the other hand, started to get ready 3 hours before the ball. The girls who had dates scrutinized them. No one could figure out why they were taking the trouble to get all dolled up for no one. 

"We are doing this for _ourselves_." Rose told one girl icily. 

James and Sirius spend the first 20 minutes of the dance deciding what girls they'd talk to first. "Who are you going to talk to first Prongs?" Sirius asked dully.

"Lily and if that doesn't pan out, I'll talk to Lily. Then I'll ask Lily to dance…" James went on like that for a while. "I have an idea Padfoot."  
  
"Five galleons says it's about Lily" Sirius joked sardonically. 

"Ha. You could talk to Lily's friend, Rose. When you two go off, Lily will be open for me. I don't think she'll abandon her friend, but if her friend leaves, she'll dance with me." James finished happily. Sirius looked at Rose. She was really pretty, and she was smart, they had classes together. 

~_I could go over there and ask her to dance, not that's lame. I could ask how she's doing...no that's typical... Think Sirius, you can do this..._~ 

Sirius tried to muster the courage he needed to approach her when Remus came by with his date, Maggie. 

"Are you two going to sit there all night?" He asked happily. "Got yourself a looker, Padfoot?" Remus asked causing Sirius to look away from Rose. Sirius got up without a word and walked over to Rose.

~_It's now or never_ ~ Sirius told himself.

Rose barely acknowledged Sirius' presence. "Hi Rose", Sirius began. Rose said hi back. Sirius was really nervous, he wasn't this nervous talking to other girls. "Do you want to walk out side or dance or something."  
  
Rose looked at Lily for consent. Lily nodded in approval and told Rose to have fun. Rose smiled and took his arm and they walked outside.

"How did a beauty like you not get asked to the ball?" Sirius asked when they were outside. Sirius was surprised that he asked her that, normally he didn't let girls know how he felt about them right off the bat. 

"I was asked." Rose said smiling. "I declined to go with the people who asked me. I didn't want to become the punch line of another Slytherin joke." Rose explained.

"What did they do?" Sirius asked, he hadn't heard of them doing anything.

"They'd send less known Slytherins, dressed up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff robes to me. The guy would ask me to the dance. I said yes to a few, only the first few. After I'd say yes, the guy would say something along the lines of not wanting to go with a mudblood. I didn't connect the dots until I heard Severus mutter something about me being a mudblood slut. Then it was obvious. I saw those boys at the Slytherin table laughing together all the time." Rose explained quickly.

Sirius swore loudly so that a few people heard. "So everyone that asked after that received an automatic no?" Rose nodded.

"Why'd you agree to dance with me?" Sirius asked somewhat surprised that Rose would risk it.

"I would have said no if I didn't know how much you hate Severus." Rose explained. ~ _Come on Rose, don't be so dramatic._ ~ Rose told herself. "Enough of that. How are you at Wizard's Chess?"

"I'm good, but there's not a set out here." Sirius said. ~_I'd probably loose every games..._~ Sirius thought truthfully.

"Let's go back to the Great Hall. I'll get one." Rose said grinning. 

On the way back to the Great Hall Sirius marveled at Rose's black hair, how the curls perfectly framed her face and how one curl dangled near the base of her neck. Rose couldn't believe that a guy as popular and cute as Sirius wanted to spend time with her. 

Rose and Sirius didn't have any troubles finding a place to sit. Sirius noted that James was now sitting with Peter, without Lily. Rose had her wand out and conjured a chess set. Sirius' jaw dropped.

"You can _conjure_ things, _already_?" Sirius was shocked, that was 6th year work. Rose set the pieces up by hand, Sirius suspected that she knew a charm to do that too.

Five games later, Rose had won all but one. Rose didn't want to totally crush his sense of pride. Professor McGonagall came over to see why they were still there.

"Miss Becerra, Mr. Black, what are you still doing here. The ball ended 20 minutes ago and _why_ did you bring a chess set?" She asked irritably.

"I conjured it, we were bored." Rose explained fearfully. "And we didn't realize the ball ended."

"You conjured it?" Professor McGonagall gave a rare smile. "Well, off to bed with you then."

Sirius was beyond words. "I've…never…we're not it trouble." He finally said. "I've never seen McGonagall pass up a chance to throw me in detention."

Rose smiled. "Teachers love it when students can do magic beyond their age capabilities." Rose shrugged. "It was nothing."

When Sirius and Rose entered the common room, they met a round of applause. Rose was confused, so was Sirius.

"Congrats, Padfoot." James said shaking Sirius' hand and tearing him away from Rose.

"What did I do??" Sirius was lost. 

"Come on, tell us _what_ happened." James prompted.

"Ohh" Sirius understood. Nothing had happened, but he had a reputation to protect. "A gentleman never tells." He said smoothly. 

"Oh come oh, you're not a gentleman!" Peter said rolling his eyes. 

Sirius left it at that and went to bed. 

~ End Flashback ~

"…we didn't really talk a whole bunch after that. Sirius took our relationship for granted. He wasn't too smart about relationships." Rose told Hermione and Ginny. They were almost to St. Mungo's now. 

"Boys are really dumb, especially about relationships." Hermione said agreeing with Rose.

"They really need all the help they can get." Ginny said wisely. 

Once they were inside St. Mungo's, Rose consulted a piece of paper that had Mrs. Weasley's hand writing on it and went inside the elevator. "Fourth floor…" Rose said to herself.

"Isn't that the same ward with the…'long-term' patients?" Hermione asked carefully. She remembered seeing the Longbottom's there last Christmas. 

"The Healers figured that it's the safest place for pregnant witches." Rose explained. "Nothing on that floor is contagious."

Rose signed in and was told to wait for the Maternity Healer in the waiting room.

"Where did I leave off?" She asked the girls.

"You and Sirius hooked up at the ball and then he didn't do anything for the rest of the school year." Hermione said. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Well, the next year there was a Halloween Ball…"

~ Flashback 5th Year ~

Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus sat around a table a week before the dance, discussing who they were going to ask.

"I'm asking Lily." James announced.

"Prongs, you've done that 23 times _today_." Remus reminded him.

"Who are you going to ask Moony?" Sirius asked.

" I already asked Emma." Remus said off-handedly. Remus never dated much and when he did, he didn't let any one get close to him. "Who are you asking Wormtail?"  
  
"I don't know… I'll ask someone." Peter said doubtfully. "I bet you'll have three dates, Padfoot." Peter said resentfully.

"No, I'm asking Rose." Sirius said happily. There was a sudden silence.

"You didn't know?" James asked, his eyes were wide. "She's going with Zaine Macnair from Ravenclaw. He asked her a week ago."

Sirius broke the quill he was holding. "I thought we were a….a thing. She can't do that! Its against the rules."

"You haven't indicated in any way that you were still interested in her." Remus said quietly. "You didn't expect her to assume you were going to ask her, not after you waited a week and a half after we knew about the dance."

Sirius wanted to talk to Rose about this nonsense. He jumped up and attempted to go up to the girl's dormitory but was stopped when the staircase turned into a slide causing him to swear loudly.

Rose, Lily, and Emma walked in through the portrait hole. They stopped in their tracks. 

Sirius spotted Rose right away and marched over to her. Lily and Emma got out of the way quickly.

"Why aren't you going to the ball with me?" Sirius asked in a raised voice.

"You didn't ask me, and I was asked by someone else. And _don't_ raise your voice Black!" Rose answered coolly. Sirius felt a cold chill run down his spine.

"I…well….I was going to!" Sirius said defensively. " I didn't think that-"

"That's right. You didn't think! You didn't think I'd care that you haven't so much as talked to me since last Christmas! You didn't think that I'd get asked by someone else! YOU DIDN"T THINK AT ALL SIRIUS BLACK!" Rose stomped off to the girl's dorm, with difficulty since the staircase was still a slide.

The next day Sirius asked the first decent girl he saw. It happened to be a 4th year named Daisy. She was thrilled to be asked by a hunk like Sirius.

At the ball Sirius watched Rose and Zane jealously. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. Then he noticed that Snape was watching Rose too.

Rose and Zane were dancing closley together. Rose made a concerted effort not to look at Sirius. 

"Hey Rose" Zane started. "Would you mind if we left the dance now?"

"Why?" Rose asked. "Its only just begun."

"I thought we could move onto 'other' business." Zane said pushing 'himself' uncomfortably close to Rose.

Rose tried to make some space between them, she didn't want to feel his nether regions. "What are you talking about Zane?" Rose couldn't figure out what had gotten into Zane, he was usually nice and polite. 

"I've hear about _you_ mudblood. How you'll do anything to anyone. Even after one date" Rose didn't know what to say, she hadn't done anything with anyone in any sense. 

"WHAT are you talking about?!" Rose said trying to wriggle away from Zane. He had his arm firmly around her waist. 

Sirius had noticed that something was wrong and stood up. 

"Listen you filthy mudblood slut. I'll get what's coming to me one way or another!" Zane shouted, raising a hand to strike Rose.

Sirius rushed forward to stop Zane, but before he could do anything Zane was unconscious on the floor.

Rose was shocked. She looked around at the faces staring at her. Then she noticed that Snape and his friends were laughing. ~_He did this. You're stupid, Rose. You should have known it was too good to be true. ~_ Rose told herself bitterly as she ran out of the Great Hall. Sirius ran after her, leaving his date behind.

Rose was in the Entrance Hall, she heard Sirius coming but didn't turn around. "Come to gloat, come to tell me I should have gone with you?" Rose asked angrily. 

Sirius took Rose's hand. She turned around. Tears were trickling down her face.

"I'm sorry." Sirius said. He put his hand on Rose's face and wiped the tears away. "I should have asked you earlier. It's my fault."  
  
Rose threw her arms around Sirius. Sirius caressed her black curls lovingly. ~_She's beautiful. I don't want this to end._ ~ Sirius thought tenderly. Rose pulled away from Sirius' embrace and suggested they walk around the lake.

They were halfway around the lake when Sirius stopped. He and Rose were hand-in-hand. He pulled Rose close to him. She smelled like lilacs. Sirius leaned in closer to Rose, gazing into her eyes. Sirius kissed Rose gently on the lips and she kissed him back. Her lips were soft. Rose tore away suddenly.

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

Sirius strained to hear… It was James. ~_Five minutes…I just wanted five more minutes_ ~ Sirius though angrily as his best friend walked around the bend with Lily. Lily looked less-than-pleased to be there with James.

"Are you ok Rose?" Lily asked searching Rose's eyes for an answer.

"I'm all right now." Rose said smiling at Sirius. Lily gave a look of comprehension. 

"Looks like you finally snapped Evans, Prongs" Sirius joked with his friend, not letting go of Rose's hand.

"Yeah," James ruffled his hair, "she couldn't resist me" He winked at Lily.

"UGH! Rose, I'll meet you in the common room, k?" Lily had her limit of James for that week. Rose nodded. Lily walked towards the castle, followed closely by James.

Rose and Sirius waited until Lily and James were out of sight. "Poor Lily…" Rose started to say, but before she could finish her sentence, Sirius kissed her again. Rose stood on her tiptoes to reach him properly. She ran her fingers through his hair. He pulled her closer to him. 

When they finished, Rose didn't want to let go. She could tell by the look on his moon-illuminated face that he didn't want to either.

"We should go back soon." Sirius said even though he wanted to stay there with Rose forever.

"Yeah." Rose and Sirius walked back into the castle. "I don't want to go back to the dance." Rose said as they entered the Entrance Hall. 

"Let's go to the Common Room then." Sirius suggested, he didn't want to leave Rose.

Rose and Sirius talked late into the night. Rose laid down with her head in Sirius' lap. Sirius could have swam in her deep eyes. Sirius caressed Rose's hair, after a while she fell asleep. Sirius stayed with her, he knew he couldn't bring her up to her room and he didn't want to leave her there. Soon others came in.

"Padfoot, aren't you going to bed?" Remus asked when he saw Sirius on the couch.

"No, I'll stay with Rose all night." Sirius said firmly. He quickly changed his mind though. Rose turned onto her side and moved her hand a little to close to….. well….Sirius' eyes bulged. 

"Maybe I'll let her sleep here by herself." Sirius said as Remus laughed at his friend's predicament. "Will you get me a pillow and a blanket for her?" 

Sirius hoped that Rose wouldn't wake up. She'd feel 'something' pressing against her cheek. When Remus returned, they put the blanket over her and made sure the pillow was in place and went to bed.

Sirius and Rose would couple off often after that. Everyone knew that they were together. 

Sirius wanted to get Snape for what he did to Rose. He told Snape that it was possible to see where he, James, Peter, and Remus snuck off to every month. He told Snape to use a stick, hit the knot on the Whomping Willow, and follow the tunnel. Sirius was surprised that Snape believed him.

Sirius didn't tell James, Remus, or Peter about his plan until they were in the Shrieking Shack. James opened the trap door in time for Snape to see Remus transform. James practically drug Snape back towards the school. Sirius and Snape received detention. Sirius for intentionally endangering a student's life, Snape for sneaking out of bounds. 

~ End Flashback ~

"So _that's_ how James saved his life." Hermione said wide-eyed.

Rose nodded; then she realized that some one was calling her name.

"Mrs. Black, we're ready for you." Rose got up and followed a Maternity Healer in training named Susan into a room.

The Healer in training went over the information on the chart she had. "Mrs. Rose Black, right?" Rose nodded. Then Susan seemed to connect a few dots. "As in Sirius Black's wife?" Rose nodded again. Susan didn't inquire any further. Susan asked the usual questions.

"The Healer Brown will be with you in a few minutes." Susan said in a falsely nice voice. Rose expected this treatment.

She waited for the Maternity Healer to arrive. After a few minutes the door opened. A kind looking Healer walked in. He greeted Rose and started to perform some charms that checked for illness in expectant mothers and their baby. When he finished he had a broad smile across his face.

"I have good news, Mrs. Black. You and your babies are perfectly healthy." The healer said beaming. Rose looked at him strangely for a moment, then she got it. 

"Babies? I'm having twins??" Rose gulped.

"Yes, you are. And, I don't see any potential hazards in your pregnancy. You're perfectly healthy." He told Rose.

"Twins…I am having _two_…" Rose couldn't quite wrap her mind around this.

Healer Brown gave Rose some literature on pregnancy and gave her a potion, and the instructions for brewing more. Rose hadn't done a potion this hard in long time. Rose went back to the waiting room where Ginny and Hermione were talking animatedly. 

"How'd it go?" Ginny asked.

"Twins…" Rose said absentmindedly.

"Fred and George are at work." Ginny said thickly.

"No, I'm having twins…" Rose was just getting use to this idea herself.

"OH MY GOSH!!! TWINS!" Hermione and Ginny screamed together. The topic of twins filled their conversation until they reached the Underground. Then Ginny brought up Rose's story.

"So, what happened after the dance? Sirius didn't drop the ball again?" Ginny asked eagerly.

"No, we did a lot together during the rest of the 5th year…."

~ Flashback ~

When the 6th year started Sirius and Rose were still just a couple. That all changed on Rose's 17th birthday. Sirius asked her to go to Hogsmeade for a birthday surprise.

Rose knew that it wasn't a Hogsmeade day, but agreed anyway. Rose told Sirius that it had to be past 6, because she had to do something at 5. Rose had been busy a lot during the last few months.

"What is it?" He asked grinning.

"I can't tell you." Rose said firmly. Rose had used that answer a lot with Sirius lately. 

Rose and Sirius snuck out under James' Invisibility Cloak and went to Hogsmeade via the tunnel under the statue of the Witch.

They entered The Three Broomstick half an hour later, Sirius put the cloak in his bag.

"Ah, Mr. Black, your table awaits." Madame Rosemerta said smiling. She led them to a private section of the bar. It was decorated with banners and confetti. 

Rose and Sirius sat at a cozy table that had a rose on it. Madame Rosemerta brought out a small but ornate birthday cake. Rose smiled. She couldn't believe how much Sirius had done for tonight.

Sirius held Rose's left hand. He played with her three stone ring.

"Sirius, this is too much." Rose began.

"Nothing is too much for you… I need to ask you something" Sirius said nervously. "I know we've been a couple for a year, but I want to be more. I want to be your boyfriend. I want to do what I should have done last year. I love you, Rose." There he said it, he could breath again.

Rose's eyes filled with happiness. "I love you, Sirius. I knew were where boyfriend and girlfriend, even if you didn't say so…" Rose was still taken aback at the extravagance of the whole thing.

Sirius pulled a small box out of his pocket and gave it to Rose.

Rose opened it and gasped. "You got me a birthstone ring! It's beautiful! It has my name on it. Sirius, thank you". Rose slipped it on her middle finger on her right hand.

"I have something for you." Sirius looked shocked. Rose pulled a package out of her bag and handed it to Sirius.

"It's your birthday…" Sirius sputtered taking the package.

"You can't open it till you're in your room," Rose told him, ignoring his protest. 

Rose and Sirius at the cake, well most of it, and spent the evening walking around Hogsmeade. Sirius kept his arm around Rose's waist. Rose loved being in his strong arms.

They returned to the common room around midnight. They kissed one last time for that night and went into their rooms. 

As soon as Sirius reached his bed, he opened the package. A Guide to Amigus in England.

~_ Why'd she give me this, does she know... Did she turn me in? No. She wouldn't do that..._~ Sirius' mind swarmed with the possibilities. 

Sirius opened to a page that Rose marked. 

Sirius,

Sorry I couldn't tell you earlier, but if you read this page you'll see why I've been so busy lately.

Love,

Rose

Sirius looked at the page, it was a list of all registered animigus in England. He read the page and gasped a few lines down. 

"Rose Becerra…London, England…turns into a black dog with three dots angled from her left eye as her markings…" Sirius read aloud. ~ _It's her ring... that's where her markings come from. Should I tell her I'm an animigus..._ ~

~ End Flashback ~

"You're an animigus?" Ginny asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys." Rose remembered. "I can turn into any animal, I registered as a dog because I rarely turn into one."

They got back to Grimmauld Place around three in the afternoon. Harry, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley were already there. They were waiting for Rose to return. 

Mrs. Weasley was overjoyed when Rose said she was having twins. Harry and Ron had dumbfounded looks on their faces. Rose was slowly getting use the idea of raising twins, alone. She didn't think she'd ever get use to the alone part of it though.

Rose made a mental note to talk to Dumbledore the next night via floo powder. Rose hoped that Dumbledore would still let her teach.

A/N: It was long, but I didn't want to break it up. I didn't plan on the whole twins thing, it sounded good when I wrote that part.

REVIEW!


	7. Sirius and Rose's big fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Rose wasn't sure what Dumbledore would say. She wanted to teach, more than anything. Rose knew she'd have to bite the bullet ans talk to Dumbledore. Rose kneeled by the fireplace in her room, grabbed some Floo Powder, and called Dumbledore.

"Are you there?" Rose asked. "It's Rose." Dumbledore came into view. 

"Good Morning". Dumbledore said happily. "Why don't you come over so you don't have to kneel on the floor?"

Rose got up and traveled over to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore asked Rose to sit down, she did.

"I need to tell you something, Headmaster." Dumbledore nodded. "I'm pregnant, with twins. I guess it happened a few days before he died." 

"Hmm… Are you still willing to teach?" Dumbledore asked, he seemed unsurprised by the news.

"YES!" Rose didn't mean to shout. "I mean, yes, Of course. I wanted to make sure I still could."

"You may teach here until you are unable to, Rose." Dumbledore said causing Rose to smile. She didn't want to sit around Grimmauld Place for 9 months alone.

"Rose, there is something I need to give you. It was something that Sirius asked me to give you if he should die."  
  
"Was he planning on dying?" Rose asked, Sirius wasn't in any danger last spring.

"He wrote this when he decided to be the Potter's Secret Keeper." Dumbledore said quickly. He handed Rose a letter. "You can read it later." Dumbledore said quickly, he always felt awkward when people cried around him.

"Well, I should get back then." Rose said holding the letter tightly in her hand. 

"I'll see you at the next meeting." Dumbledore said as Rose got up to go. "By the way, congratulations… Sirius would be very happy, I know it."

Rose smiled as she went to the fire. Rose closed her eyes tightly as she spun through the green light. As soon as Rose was back in her room, she opened the letter.

My Beloved Rose,

I know we'll spend some time apart and it will be hard, just know that I love you. If anything happens to me, know that I never stopped loving you. I am sorry that I can't be there for you. I can't imagine how hard this has been for you. Don't be afraid, I'll still be there for you, even if you can't see me or feel me. 

Be strong, I know that people will start talking once I'm gone. It won't be easy for you. Remember that you have friends who love you. Rely on those relationships when you're down. 

In the short time, we've been apart; I've realized how much I love you. Every passing day causes my love for you to grow. I want you to be happy, no matter what. Don't stop living because of me, I know we'll be together again.

With all the love I possess,

Sirius  


Rose read the letter repeatedly. She could almost hear Sirius saying the words on the page. Rose carefully put the letter on her nightstand. Rose didn't want to go downstairs quite yet, she decided to take a nap instead. 

While Rose was asleep she had a nightmare about he train ride to Hogwarts at the beginning of her 4th year.

~ Dream ~

Rose had fallen asleep in an empty compartment and didn't wake up until she heard someone talking in the room. Rose opened her eyes and saw a 7th year Slytherin with long blonde hair and two gorilla looking boys with him.

Rose tried to tell them to get out, but she couldn't talk. ~ _A Silencing Charm_. ~ Rose thought angrily. Then she tried to reach for her wand.

"Looking for this?" The blonde said twirling Rose's wand. Rose stared at him defiantly. Rose tried to stand up but she was bound. The blonde chuckled cruelly.

"Not going to work, Mudblood." The blonde drawled.

Rose mouthed "f*ck you". 

The blonde moved closer to Rose. He straddled Rose. Rose couldn't believe this was happening. The blonde started to kiss Rose; Rose jerked her head away. She looked at the gorilla-boys for help, but they were guarding the door. The blonde moved his hand under Rose's shirt and began to feel her up. Rose was terrified. She tried harder to break free. She knocked the blonde off her. He stood up angrily. 

"Fine, if you don't like foreplay…" He unbuckled his pants. Rose looked desperately at her wand, it on the other side of the room, in plain view. ~_Oh God, I'm going to be raped_ ~ Rose thought franticly as she started to cry. The blonde was advancing on her, he unbound her and tried to undo her pants. Rose wasn't sure what happened, but the blonde was thrown backwards. Rose didn't hesitate to figure out why he was thrown back, but went for her wand…

~ End of the Dream ~

Rose sat up, drenched in sweat. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were in the room. 

"I'm going to be sick…" Rose said as she ran into the bathroom. Rose walked out a minute later; Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were still there.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Harry asked nervously. "We could hear you from the stairs, you were yelling in a muffled voice…"  
  
"We thought you were being attacked or something…" Ron said dramatically.

Hermione and Ginny looked too scared to speak.

"I… had a nightmare." Rose explained, still drenched in sweat. "I had a nightmare about something that happened on the train during my 4th year…" Rose explained what happened.

"That dirty, menacing, filthy git!" Ron said violently. The others had similar sentiments.

"Did you tell anyone?" Hermione finally asked.

"No, I was scared. I manage to curse him before I ran out of the compartment." Rose said defensively.

"What did you do to Malfoy?" Ginny asked wildly. Rose didn't say it was Malfoy, but it was obvious to them that it was him.

"I shrunk, well, 'him'." Rose waited for the thought to register. "I left before his idiots could figure out what to do."  
  
"_Why_ didn't you tell anyone?" Ginny asked, echoing Hermione.

"I didn't want to upset Lily, and I wasn't sure how he was thrown back, I didn't know I could do wandless magic then. Besides, I was fine, I got over it. I told Lily after the ball that year… only because she wanted to know why the Slytherins hated me…" Rose said briskly. "What were you four doing up here any way?" Rose asked turning the focus off her.

"Oh, Ginny and I were telling these two about you and Sirius…" Hermione began. Rose understood, they wanted some of it to rub off.

"We should go downstairs for lunch now." Rose said to avoid the awkward silence. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny left right away. Rose stopped Ron in the hallway.

"Ron, you should tell Hermione how you feel about her." Rose told him. Ron didn't reply, he looked contemplative. They went down into the kitchen.

Rose spent the next week trying to coordinate everyone's shopping for Harry's birthday. Rose asked Mrs. Weasley to corner Harry into a long discussion about anything so she could fill the others in on the plan. Roes didn't know what Mrs. Weasley was going to talk about. After the talk, which happened to be 'the talk', Harry walked into the study, and his face was as red as Ron's hair.

Harry couldn't look a girl in the eyes for a few days afterwards…

Rose kept springing questions on Harry that he didn't know the answer to so the others could sneak off to Diagon Alley.

"Harry, did I tell you how Sirius got his motorcycle?" Rose asked on Monday. Harry shook his head no. "It was my wedding gift to him."

Rose told Harry that Sirius loved Rose's dad's motorcycle. He had seen it when they went to his funeral the previous fall. 

~ Flashback ~

"Wow! I've heard about these!" Sirius said gazing longingly at the black motorcycle in Rose's garage. "Can I ride it to the funeral?" Sirius suddenly remembered why they were in Washington. "I mean, if it's OK with you…"

Rose couldn't understand the connection between boys and bikes… "I can teach you to ride, not now though. Let's go in the house." Sirius followed Rose into her house. He hadn't ever been to the United States; so far, he liked it. 

"I can't believe you never told me that you're from here…" Sirius said in a slightly hurt voice. He only found out that Rose was from Washington State when she had to stay with James and him over the summer. 

"I didn't tell anyone, not even Lily…" Rose said quietly. "I didn't need to be any weirder." Rose didn't like being set apart from everyone else at Hogwarts in so many ways. Sirius didn't pursue the subject. He knew that Rose didn't trust many people. The people she did trust she did so sparingly.

As soon as they got back to Hogwarts Sirius told Remus, James, and Peter about the motorcycle. They though it was the coolest thing ever.

"Your dad was the most radical muggle ever!" James said once Sirius told him it belonged to Rose's dad. 

~ End flashback ~

"You taught Sirius how to ride a motorcycle?" Harry asked awestruck.

"And how to drive a car. I wasn't about to let him go off without knowing how. He could've killed himself if he wasn't careful." Rose thought for a moment about that, she had been really protective of Sirius.

"How did you enchant it to fly, wasn't that illegal?" Harry asked, he didn't think that the law would stand in Rose's way…

"Well, it was illegal to do that in England, in the US it's frowned upon…" Rose smiled mischievously. "I enchanted it there so I couldn't be jailed here for it."

__

~Good, _Hermione and Ron should be done shopping now._~ Rose thought happily. Rose was right, at that time Ron and Hermione came into the room. Harry turned around and looked puzzled.

"Where have you been?" he asked in a paternal voice.

"Umm…" Ron turned red.

"Ron's mum gave us the same talk she gave you the other day…" Hermione lied. Harry didn't ask any more questions. 

The next day (Wednesday) Harry actually asked Rose a question.

"Did you and Sirius _ever_ fight? You've only told me happier-ish stories." Harry asked, he hadn't ever heard of a couple that didn't fight.

"We fought our share of fights." Rose said reflectively. "One of our worst was in our 7th year…"

~ Flashback March 7th year ~

Remus, James, Lily, Peter, Emma, Maggie, and Sirius were studying together at a table. Rose was still at occulmency. Only Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily knew that's where she really was, everyone else thought she was tutoring someone in another house.

Rose stormed into the common room, slamming the portrait shut. She didn't stop to say "hi" or "bye" to anyone before going up to her room. She did manage to scare some 1st years out of their wits.

Sirius, Lily, and James exchanged puzzled looks. Sirius got up, asked to borrow James' invisibility cloak in an undertone that only James could hear. Sirius rushed up to the boy's dorm. He grabbed James' cloak, put it on, and transformed into a dog. He knew that animals could make it into the girl's dorm thanks to Peter.

Sirius was careful not to run into anyone on his way up the stairs. He nudged the door open. Rose was laying what must have been her bed. Sirius took the cloak off and went up to Rose's bed, still in dog form. Sirius licked Rose's hand.

Rose looked at him and smiled weakly, "Nice try Sirius…" Rose had known that Sirius was an animigus for some time.

Sirius transformed into himself. He sat down next to her. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"What happened?" he asked gently. Rose curled up next to Sirius.

"Well, during Occulmency, Severus saw a memory that I haven't told many people about and he laughed…" Rose said quietly. Sirius didn't know about this memory. Sirius didn't say anything; he wanted Rose to tell him what the memory was.

"It was something that happened on the train at the beginning of the 4th year…" Rose went on to tell Sirius what Malfoy did on the train.

Rose expected Sirius to coddle her or look angry, at least be shocked, but he didn't. Sirius just stared at the floor.

"You didn't tell me." He said flatly. "We've been dating for a year, a couple for a year before that, and friends since _forever_ and you didn't tell me." 

Rose sat up and pulled away from Sirius. "I didn't have to tell you. I didn't tell anyone for a while. I only told Lily because she drug it out of me." This didn't help.

Sirius spat. "_Snivellus_ knows more about my fiancée than I do!" Sirius' voice was very close to a shout. "I don't even _know_ you, do I?" He said with a cruel tone in his voice.

"I didn't want him to know!" Rose shouted. She was standing on one side of the bed; Sirius was on the other. "If you don't know me, why are you marring me?" Rose yelled without thinking about the ramifications.

"Let's not get married then!" Sirius barked without thinking.

"Fine!" Rose screamed. 

Sirius stormed out forgetting the invisibility cloak there. Sirius went back to the table, collected his things silently but angrily, and stalked up to the boy's dorm. James, Peter, and Remus followed closely behind him.

Sirius was in the shower when they got up there. James decided that this couldn't wait; they went into the bathroom with Sirius.

"Padfoot, what happened up there?" James yelled into the misty air.

"Haven't you three heard of privacy? I happen to be naked." Sirius snapped at them.

"Well, we're glad you've _finally_ learned to shower without your clothes on." Remus said sarcastically. "What happened?" He asked, echoing James.

"I'll tell you what happened." Sirius shouted over the sound of the water. "I don't even know the woman I'm marring. That's what happened up there." Sirius stepped out of the shower. He shook his long hair and got everyone wet.

"Wormtail, will you hand me- thanks". Sirius began to dry himself. (A/N: yes, he is still naked….*trying hard not to drool…*) 

James didn't see how Sirius went from going upstairs to console his fiancée to not knowing her at all. "What did she do…"

"I tell you what she didn't do. She never bothered telling me…" Sirius stopped, he didn't want to tell them what Malfoy did. "She doesn't let me into her life, her past, anything. Tonight she was upset because Snape saw a memory, an embarrassing one, and laughed. It was something that she had only told Lily about. She didn't trust me enough to tell me about it…" Sirius wrapped the towel around him; it hung loosely around his waist. 

"You got mad at her for not trusting you?" Remus asked quietly. Sirius nodded. "You got mad at her when she told you what happened?" Sirius nodded again. "Don't you see that by getting mad at her you betrayed her trust. She took a big step by telling you, she could've shrugged it off or lied, but she let you that much closer to who she is and you got mad at her for not doing it sooner." Remus explained to his relationally deprived friend.

Sirius stared hard at Remus. "Whose side are you on? She should trust me! I'm going to marry her… I think." Sirius remembered what he and Rose said.

"What do you mean 'I think'? You didn't break up with her did you?" James asked urgently. Sirius and Rose go together like Jiffy Pop and campfires. 

"Well…I said I didn't know her. Then she asked why I was marring someone I didn't know. Then I said we shouldn't get married, she agreed, and I left… Oh shit." Sirius sat on the nearest toilet and buried his face in his hands.

"You love her don't you?" James asked.

Sirius looked up. "More than life itself".

"You should go and apologize. Tell her that you were angry and weren't thinking when you said what you did." James said, showing his sensitive side.

"I realize you want her to trust you all the way, but you have to realize that Rose doesn't trust people very easily. She's always been afraid trusting people. Why do you think she didn't tell anyone she's from the US or that she's taking muggle classes too? She doesn't want people not to like her." Remus chipped in. Peter just stood in a corner, relationships weren't his forte. Then again, he didn't really have one…

Up in the girl's dorm Lily was trying to talk to Rose.

"Rose what happened up here, did you and Sirius fight?" she asked gently. Rose nodded. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy from crying.

"I told him that Snape saw the memory from the train," Lily knew what she meant, "and he was angry because I hadn't told him about it. He said he didn't even know me. He was angry because obviously Snape knows more about me than he does because of one memory." Rose said bitterly.

"Did anything else happen?" Lily asked sitting down next to Rose, trying to coax more information out of her.

"I lost my temper and asked him why he was marring someone he didn't know. Then he said we shouldn't get married. I agreed out of anger." Lily gave Rose a hug.

"You didn't mean it though, right?" She asked carefully.

"Of course not! I don't know if he meant it or not…" Rose's voice trailed off.

"I bet he didn't…." Lily paused to form her next sentences carefully. "I can see why he got angry though. It hurts him when you don't trust him. To him it's a sign that you don't love him enough to tell him everything about you."

"You know how hard it is for me to trust people. It's not that I don't trust Sirius, and he knows I love him…" 

"I know it's hard, you just need to try."  
  
" I'm afraid that if I tell him things like that, he won't love me." Rose admitted.

"Rose, if he doesn't love you after you tell him things that are that important and hard for you to share, he's not the man he says he is, and he's not worthy of your love." Lily said firmly. Rose nodded.

Rose and Sirius didn't talk for a few days. All of Gryfindor was talking about their fight, soon the whole school was.

Rose noticed that all the girls were whispering about her and debating whether Sirius was on the market. Rose confronted one of these girls.

"What makes you think he's available?" Rose snapped irritably. 

This girl didn't know who Rose was, so she spoke frankly. "Rumor is that Rose cheated on Sirius with a Slytherin named Snape. They say that he broke off their wedding and everything. I've also heard that he's hooking up with any girl that approaches him, I think I will after lunch." The girl said as she walked back to her friends who were goggling at her. Once the girl was told that she had been talking to Rose, she turned white.

Rose walked to her next class, trying to hide her tears. On the way, Snape asked Rose if there was trouble in paradise. Rose punched him in the nose. Rose also had to deal with constant catcalls from guys who wanted a piece of Sirius' pie.

Sirius heard all the same rumors as Rose. He ran into Snape in the hallway and punched him in the nose although he knew the rumors were false.

Sirius didn't want to end the relationship, he didn't mean to in the first place. He focused all his thought and energy on winning Rose back.

Rose and Sirius finally spoke to one another in the Great Hall a few days later. 

"Hi, Rose. How are you?" Sirius asked cautiously. He hoped that Rose didn't believe the rumors.

"I'm well. Actually, I'm not. I've been horrible". Rose was surprised at herself, she was never this candid. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I…I'm sorry for being a jerk. I should have listened to you instead of just thinking about myself…" Sirius said not looking Rose in the eyes.

"I've got to go and study", Rose said picking up her bag. "I'll see you later". Sirius knew he'd have to try harder to get Rose back.

A day later Rose was in the common room with Lily, Emma, and Maggie. They were studying potions. Rose's studies were interrupted when Sirius turned around her chair. Sirius was wearing a coattail suit and a top hat. Sirius knelt on one knee and began to sing:

" Why do birds suddenly appear  
Every time you are near?  
Just like me, they long to be  
Close to you.

Why do stars fall down from the sky  
Every time you walk by?  
Just like me, they long to be  
Close to you…"

Rose turned five shades of red. When Sirius finished, he produced a dozen roses. He asked if she would give him the honor of an evening stroll. Rose agreed.

They walked on school grounds. They were silent for a while. Sirius suddenly stopped and took out an aerosol can. He sprayed something in the air. Rose watched intently. The words 'forgive me' formed in the air. Rose looked closer, it was fireflies. 

"Only if you forgive me". Rose said taking Sirius' hand in hers. Sirius kissed her softly on the cheek, they talked into the night…

~ End flashback ~

Harry didn't know what to say. He had asked for a sip and was sprayed by a water hydrant. 

"You two…that…. Wow". Harry tried to express his shock, horror, and amazement in one sentence. It didn't work.

"We both realized we had been wrong and talked it over. We decided to work on our faults". Rose said quietly. 

"Where did Sirius learn that song?" Harry asked. Harry had heard that song, but it was on Muggle radio stations.

"Oh, when I stayed with Sirius and James, I made the mistake of exposing them to muggle music. That fall Sirius would sing "This Magic Moment" whenever we would kiss, or just to make me laugh." Rose laughed softly.

Rose examined her watch and realized what time it was. "Oh, I have to go. I'm suppose to do something for the Order…" Rose lied, she was really going to get Harry's birthday present.

"When will you be back?" Harry asked. He wondered if Rose knew that the next day was his birthday. 

"Early tomorrow, or sometime that afternoon. If not then I'll be back tomorrow evening". Rose could see the indignation on Harry's face. Rose would really be back late that evening. "Bye Harry". Rose gave Harry a quick hug as she went out the door.

Harry was angry for the rest of the day. His own godmother didn't care about his 16th birthday. 

Rose apperated to the Burrow, the Weasleys were nice enough to hold Harry's present for her. Rose started to sing to herself…

" This magic moment   
So different and so new  
Was like any other   
Until I kissed you

  
And then it happened   
It took me by surprise   
I knew that you felt it too  
By the look in your eyes 

  
Sweeter than wine   
Softer than a summer night   
Everything I want I have   
Whenever I hold you tight 

  
This magic moment   
While your lips are close to mine   
Will last forever   
Forever till the end of time   


Sweeter than wine   
Softer than a summer night   
Everything I want I have   
Whenever I hold you tight

  
This magic moment   
While your lips are close to mine   
Will last forever …."

Rose kept imagining that Sirius was there to sing to her again.

Rose examined Harry's present over and over. It would be a long ride back to London….

A/N: hope that you enjoyed what I think is the longest chapter I've written, so far.

Review! Tell me what you think is going to happen in future chapters.


	8. Birthday fun and the Wizengomit

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Rose rode through the night to get back to London before Harry woke up. Rose didn't think she'd face problems because she asked Molly to give Harry a sleeping draft before he went to bed…

Rose made it back at 3 am. She put a silencing charm on the engine, that would wake _anyone_ up. Rose had trouble maneuvering it up the stairs, but managed after half an hour. When she put it into Harry and Ron's room, she woke Ron up. Ron goggled at the present, he hoped Harry would let him use it. Rose wiped it down one more time and left the keys near it and went to bed.

Harry got up around 9 that morning. He yawned lazily and suddenly realized that it was his birthday. He hastily put his glasses on and couldn't believe his eyes. Harry climbed out of bed cautiously. 

~_If this is a dream, I want it to last.~_ Harry thought. Harry touched his present. ~_I can feel it, it's real. I have a motorcycle!!!!~_

Harry spent 15 minutes just looking at the beautiful bike. He hadn't ever seen a paint job like that. It was black and the paint looked wet though it wasn't. Harry carefully got on the motorcycle and looked at the gages and switches. 

He saw the gas, oil, and battery meter. Then he noticed a flight booster, an invisibility switch, and a silencing button. 

~_This was Sirius' bike_, Harry though excitedly. _I wonder how it got into my room…ROSE!_ !~ Harry was upset that Rose would strain herself like that. 

Harry went straight for Rose's room and opened the door. Rose was still asleep. Harry walked over and shook her shoulder. "Rose, I need to ask you something." Harry said loudly. 

Rose woke up with a start. She squinted to see, then reached for a pair of glasses.

"You wear glasses?"   
  
"Is that why you woke me up, Harry?" Rose knew that wasn't why. "I normally wear contacts, I have for years. By the way, Happy Birthday." Rose smiled.

"Thanks, I saw the motorcycle, it's great. I can't wait to ride it. I just have one question, how did you get it upstairs?" Harry looked hard at Rose.

"I pushed it up, it was too big to fit through the door with magic. I guess I could've reduced it…. Why?"  
  
"You shouldn't do stuff like that!!! You're pregnant! The babies! It's not safe." Harry could see more and more similarities between Rose and Sirius everyday. 

"Harry, I've been riding for along time. I'm a safe driver. I didn't need to worry. Come on, let's get some breakfast." Rose stood up and stretched out. She ached from sitting on the bike for so long. 

Fifteen minutes later they were downstairs eating breakfast. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley were there. They had all chorused "happy birthday" once Harry came in. After Harry finished eating, they gave him his presents.

The Weasleys gave him a new sweater, some chocolates, and a picture of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Hermione gave Harry a book, _How to Ride Motorcycles for Dummies_. Hermione insisted it was the only motorcycle-riding book she could find. Fred and George gave Harry a supply of Skiving Snacks. Rose noted to be very scrupulous on who she let leave because of 'sickness'. 

Rose gave Harry a helmet, gloves, and jacket to wear when he rode the motorcycle. Harry beamed.

After that Rose took Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny upstairs to show them the workings of the motorcycle.

Rose moved the bike downstairs and into the street. Rose got on the bike and showed them how to start it. The engine sounded great. Then Rose showed them how to get going and gave them a few pointers on riding. Rose took each of them for a ride, she promised Harry that she would teach him how to ride soon.

At lunch, the post arrived. Everyone got their letters from Hogwarts. Hermione got OWLS in every course. The only OWL she didn't get Outstanding in was Runes. She was very upset. 

Ron and Harry did well too. They passed every subject, except for Divination. They were nonplussed. Halfway through lunch McGonagall came into the kitchen, she looked worried.

"Rose, I need to speak to you right away," Minerva said urgently. 

"Let's go upstairs." Rose suggested. She and Minerva went to the study. 

"What is it, Minerva?"

"Dumbledore wanted me to warn you that Fudge is going to charge you with aiding and embedding a criminal, Sirius. Dumbledore thinks it's just so they can accuse other people, like him, of helping Sirius." McGonagall looked pale.

"Doesn't he get that Peter killed those people! Not Sirius. I'll go and tell them that I didn't help Sirius until I knew that he was innocent." Rose said firmly.

"What if they throw you in Azkaban? In your state?" McGonagall said eyeing Rose's stomach. 

"They won't. Besides, they don't really have any proof…oh they do." Rose realized that her pregnancy was incriminating in itself. "We'll have to prove that Sirius was innocent." Rose looked surly. 

"Dumbledore said he'll be there for the hearing to speak on your behalf," McGonagall said still looking faint.

Rose opened the door to the study and saw four teenagers scatter in all directions. 

"I'll tell them tomorrow." Rose said sighing deeply. 

Rose was cheerful for the rest of the day, she didn't want to damper Harry's birthday. That night at dinner a lot of people came over. Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Remus, all the Weasleys (minus Percy), and Hagrid were there.

Rose made Mexican food for everyone. She made tacos enchiladas, refried beans, chicken en mole, tortilla soup, querrizo, and fresh guacamole. Mrs. Weasley helped some, but she didn't know how to make any of the dishes. 

Everyone ate in silence, they were enjoying the new foods. 

"Rose, I didn't know you could cook." Remus said after he ate three plates of food.

"I learned in Mexico. Remus you're eating enough for three." Rose teased.

Remus laughed, "I'm not, but you are." Rose laughed and nodded.

"Just imagine, Hogwarts will have _another_ set of twins." George said smiling.

"I hope we've set a _good_ example." Fred said suppressing a laugh.

"If they're like you two, I don't know what I'll do… I guess I'll send them your way for a bit of your own medicine." Rose retorted. Fred and George looked terrified at the thought. "That's what I thought." Rose said in a cocky voice.

"Harry, what are you going to do now that you're 16?" Tonks asked. She had changed her nose into what Snape's nose looked like after Rose punched it.

"Hmm, I want to learn to ride my motorcycle, assuming my godmother is still _able_ to." Harry said, hoping he'd get Rose to spill the beans about her trial. He didn't hear the whole conversation, but he got the gist.

"Yeh won't 'ave ene trouble ridin' the bike." Hagrid said loudly. (Hagrid was on his second tanker.) "It'll be easy fer yeh."

Remus gave Rose a quizzical look, he had caught onto what Harry said. After a few hours of fun and a lot of butterbeer for everyone, except Rose, almost everyone had gone home. Rose and Mrs. Weasley were cleaning off the table, the kids had gone upstairs. Remus came back into the room.

"Rose what was Harry talking about when he said he hoped you'd be able to teach him to ride? You're alright aren't you?" Remus asked looking intently into Rose's eyes and taking her hand in his to comfort her.

"I'm fine, it's just that I'm being charged with aiding and embedding Sirius…"   
  
"What! Why are they charging you with that, he's dead." Remus didn't mean for that to come out like that. "I mean, it's not like you're doing it now…"

Rose put a hand up to silence him. "I know what you meant. I don't know why Fudge wants to charge me… the bad thing is we can't deny that I've been with him." Rose looked down at her stomach, which was still normal sized, but Remus got what she meant.

"Ohhhh, how are you going to get off then?" Remus asked concernedly. 

"I'm going to argue that he was innocent, Dumbledore will help me too." Rose sounded optimistic. 

Remus gave Roes a long, reassuring hug. "Don't forget that I'm here for you." Remus said before letting go. 

Rose couldn't fall asleep that night. She kept imagining her children being born in Azkaban. Rose opened her eyes slightly. Sirius was sitting next to her, watching her sleep. 

"Having a nightmare?" He asked quietly when Rose opened her eyes. 

"Yeah, I keep dreaming that our children are born in Azkaban and the dementers…" Rose couldn't finish the sentence.

"I wish I could testify on your behalf…" Sirius' voice trailed off.

"Honey you're dead. A house elf would be a better witness." Rose said lovingly. Rose tried to put her hand on Sirius' leg, but woke with a start.

Rose squinted to see where her hand was, it was on the bed, not touching anything. Rose was seriously wondering if she was sane or not. 

Rose waited in the dinning room for Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny to come downstairs the next morning. Rose knew they knew, but she wanted to tell them like she didn't.

They all came downstairs rather tiredly. Rose waited until they were all seated.

"I need to tell you all something." Everyone was alert. "I'm going to be tried for aiding and embedding Sirius. Which means, if I'm convicted, I could go to Azkaban. I don't think I will be, but there's a chance…"

Rose looked at four 'try to look shocked' faces. Then they all tried to console her at once. Harry said that a conviction was inconceivable. Hermione said she'd see if _any_ pregnant witch has been sent to Azkaban. Ginny offered to take care of the babies, if Rose was convicted. Ron simply looked shocked and appalled. 

That afternoon, there was a knock at the door. It was Kingsley. 

"I have to take you in, Rose." He said in his deep voice. 

"I understand." Rose grabbed a bag she had packed that morning. Rose followed Kingsley outside. She waved to Mrs. Wealsey, Harry, and the others before shutting the door behind her. 

"When is my trial?" Rose asked quietly incase there were others around.

"I a few days." He said at a low rumble. "They're trying to intimidate you." Kingsley indicated the aurors that were waiting for them a block away.

"See, I told you it would be easy." He told the group. They all congratulated Kingsley. All 5 aurors had their wands on Rose. 

To Rose's astonishment, they took Rose to the Ministry of Magic, not Azkaban. They put Rose in a room down of the 10th floor. They took her wand, but left her clothes, and her personal affects. 

A few lonely days later, Rose was brought out for her trial. Rose was chained up. Fudge made sure that she was also bound to the chair in the courtroom. 

Fudge cleared his throat. ~_Is he nervous?~_ Rose wondered. "I Hereby charge you Roes Black-" Fudge stopped because on of the wizengomit members interrupted him quietly.

"Sir, you're supposed to say your name, and the defendant's _full_ name…." One member whispered. 

"Right…" Fudge went on and charged Rose. 

"Do you deny these charges?" Fudge said melodramatically. 

Rose looked him strait in the eyes. "No, **_BUT_**" Rose had to speak loudly to overcome the murmurs around the room. "But, Sirius was not a criminal." Rose said in her firmest voice.

"So, killing 13 people, is _not_ a criminal act. Escaping from the highly guarded prison is _not_ a criminal act? Tell me, what is _criminal_, Mrs. Black?" Fudge's new Senior Secretary to the Minister said acidly.

"The wrongful imprisonment of an _innocent_ man. Then accusing him of betraying his best friend, and allowing the guilty party to go on with his life, in servitude to Voldemort!" 

~_Why isn't Fudge questioning me?_~ Rose wondered.

"Everyone knows that Sirius Black killed those people. Who do _you_ think killed them?" Fudge's assistant asked.

"Peter Petigrew." Fudge let out an almost nervous laugh. 

"He's dead." Fudge squeaked. He cleared his throat then continued. " He was one of the people your husband killed."

"Sirius was not the Potter's secret keeper. Petigrew was. Sirius-" Rose was cut off by Fudge.  
  
"So they chose the more powerful wizard?" Fudge asked smirking.

"No, they thought choosing an idiot like him would throw Voldemort off. They didn't know Petigrew's true colors." Rose said vehemently. "Sirius hunted Petigrew down and cornered him in a street."  
  
"LIES!" Fudge yelled.

"Pettigrew killed those muggles!" Rose said equaling Fudge's volume.

"DECEIT!" Fudge yelled over Rose. "I ORDER YOU TO BE SILENT!" Fudge yelled. "OR IT'S STRAIGHT TO AZKABAN FOR YOU!"

"Sir, you can't do that…" One of the older members said quietly. Fudge looked displeased.

There was a moment's silence then someone spoke up.

  
"Did you help Sirius before you knew that he was innocent?" One of the older ladies on the Wizengomit asked. Rose remembered that she was Dumbledore friendly.

"No ma'am. I did not have anything to do with him until I knew he was innocent." Rose said stoutly.

"How did you know that Sirius was innocent? Did Petigrew come by your house one day. Did you _see_ Peter Petigrew? " Fudge's assistant asked. Rose could see where Fudge's major decisions came from. 

"No, I-" Rose started. 

"So you believed Sirius, a desperate man who had spent 12 years in prison?" Fudges assistant asked to further scrutinize Rose.

"I believed Dumbledore when-" Rose was cut off again.

"So, you trust Dumbledore?" Fudge asked insolently.

"Yes, apparently if you would have a person named _Voldemort_ might have been stopped!" Rose said cruelly. Fudge ignored Rose's last comment.

"You and Sirius have been living together since then?" Fuge's assistant asked.

"No, I didn't-" Rose started  
  
"Why not, if he was innocent?" Fudge's assistant asked. Rose glared at him. 

"Like I was saying, I didn't want to rouse any suspicion that would lead to his arrest. I knew that the Ministry hadn't quite come up to speed with Dumbledore." Rose stared pointedly at Fudge.

"Isn't it true that you're pregnant with his child?" Fudge's assistant asked.

"Is that a crime too, if it is I know a family that needs to be incarcerated on seven charges of having children." Most the Wizengomit chuckled at Rose's reference to the Weasleys.

"Well, no it's not, but that should be taken into consideration…" Another member said. The Wizengomit murmured in agreement. 

"Do you have anything else to say?" Fudge asked irritably. 

"I do." Dumbledore said standing up. He came to the front where Rose was.

"You may speak." Fudge said airily.  
  
"Thank you. The fact that Rose helped her husband is not the issue today. Rose admits to that. The point is, she was not aiding a criminal, just her husband who was jailed for a crime he did not commit. "

"Honestly, why should I believe you?" Fudge asked. 

"I thought you would put up resistance, so I brought a list of times I told you something that you did not believe or listen to where I was right." Dumbledore reached into his robes and produced a _long_ roll of parchment.

"The first thing was (and I'm starting with the day you became Minister, if I did before then, the list would be much longer.) I told you not to appoint Dolores Umbridge as you Senior Secretary because she would go behind your back and abuse her power. This past year, she proved that by using Veritasium illegally and performing the Crutatious Curse on minors…."

Dumbledore went on for almost and hour…"And finally, I told you that Voldemort was gaining power, you didn't believe me until he was here, in the fountain."

Dumbledore sat back down. The Wizengomit talked among themselves for a bit. Rose was hopeful. Fudge cleared his throat again.

"All in favor of a guilty verdict and therefore sending Rose Black to Azkaban raise your hands…." 

A/N: You've read it, now review it!


	9. The Verdict

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Sorry, I was in a vindictive mood when I updated last *grins evilly* I won't leave anymore cliff hangers like that…I don't think. 

A/N2: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Rose took in a sharp breath as Fudge called for the verdict. Only 4 people raised their hand for guilty. Rose let out her breath. Fudge looked furious.

"This does not mean that you are off." Fudge's assistant said sharply. "You will be brought back to us once there is conclusive evidence to confirm either side of the case." He glared at Roes disdainfully. 

"Once Petigrew is caught, I'll be officially cleared then. It's only a matter of time, he's not smart enough to not get caught." Rose said contemptuously. Rose was almost to the door when Madam Bones caught up with her.

"Mrs. Black, could I talk to you, I would like to hear why you think Sirius is innocent." Amelia Bones said honestly. She didn't like that Fudge prevented Rose from explaining her position. 

"Sure Madam Bo-"  
  
"Please, call me Amelia."  
  
"You can call me Rose." 

They went to Amelia's office and Rose explained how Peter became an animigus. Rose explained that Sirius and James decided to make Peter the Secret Keeper, without telling her, because it was unexpected. Then Rose said that Sirius didn't come home after the Potters were killed because he was looking for Peter. 

"So where was has he been all of these years?" Amelia asked.

"He stayed in rat form and lived at Ronald Weasley's pet for 12 years. When Sirius escaped, Peter became nervous…" 

Rose told Amelia how Peter escaped from Sirius and Remus that night and how Sirius escaped from the Dementers.

"Is this when you believed he was innocent?" Amelia questioned. She wanted to know exactly how Rose knew her husband was innocent.

"Yes. I didn't know about this until Sirius came to Mexico…

~ Flashback ~

Rose was cooking dinner. She always cooked more food than she could eat; she gave the rest to people in her neighborhood. Rose heard the door open.

"Quien es?" (Who is it?)

There wasn't a response. Rose went to the front door. It was ajar. Rose looked around to see if any one was there. 

~_It was opened by the wind_ ~ Rose thought calmly.

Rose returned to the kitchen. Rose was almost done making tortillas when someone's arms slipped around her waist from behind.

"Don't scream." The voice whispered in Rose's ear. Rose knew who it was.

"Sirius! What are you doing here?" Rose made her mind up that she would turn him in. "Sirius, I wouldn't stay here if I were you. My husband will be home soon." Rose lied.

"I just need to talk to you." Sirius said. ~_I should have known that she would re-marry_ ~ Sirius thought angrily. "I'm innocent. I didn't kill Peter; I didn't betray Lily and James… I was framed." 

Rose didn't say anything. She was fighting off the pleasure from being this close Sirius again.

"I'm going to let you go, I just want to explain to you what really happened. Then I'll go. I'll let you and your husband continue your happy life." Sirius said in a hoarse voice.

Sirius let go of Rose and backed away. Rose turned around quickly, pulled her wand out, and held it like a sword. 

"Sit at the table." Rose commanded. Rose knew that Sirius didn't have his wand. It had been issued to her after he was brought to Azkaban. 

Sirius told Rose everything. Rose wasn't buying it.

"You've had almost 13 years to fabricate a story and _that's_ the best you can come up with? How did you escape? How did you know that Peter was at Hogwarts? And WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WEREN'T THE SECRET KEEPER, **_IF_** YOU WEREN'T? WHY DIDN'T YOU COME HOME?!?!" Rose yelled and thirteen years of anger spewed out of her.

Sirius looked like he had been expecting this. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to give Voldemort a reason to attack you. I knew that if I stayed away you'd be safe. I didn't come home after the Lily and James were killed because I knew you wouldn't believe me." Sirius said searching Rose's face for acceptance.

"_How_ did you escape then?" Rose was trying not to believe him. 

"You know that Dementers suck happiness. I wasn't happy, but a few thoughts kept me going. One was that I was innocent and the guilty one was free. It wasn't a happy thought, it was an obsession. The second was that you were out there. It didn't make me happy because I knew that you thought I had killed those people. However, I wanted to see you again, be with you again…" Saying this made Sirius even more upset about Rose's new husband.

Rose was about to tell Sirius to leave when an owl came inside. Rose opened the letter, if was from Dumbledore. It was short, Dumbledore just said that Sirius was innocent. Rose couldn't believe it. Rose stood up and started to pace the room. Sirius stood up too.

"You…you're really…" Sirius nodded. Rose wasn't sure what emotion came over her. She wanted to kill, kiss, punch, and hug Sirius all at once. The punch came first.

"OWW!" He said massaging his jaw.

"_THAT"S_ for not telling me! And this," Rose gave him a long, sultry kiss. "Is for coming here to tell me the truth." 

Sirius looked anxiously at the door. He wondered what Rose's husband would think if he came home about now…

"I'm not married…I lied." Rose confessed. "I told you that hoping you'd leave…" Rose looked embarrassed. Rose suddenly realized how thin Sirius was. "Haven't you eaten anything in the last 13 years?" She asked making him a plate of dinner…

~ End Flashback ~

Amelia gave Rose an approving look. Amelia respected how Rose handled the situation. She wanted to think that Sirius was innocent too. 

"I'm glad I voted like I did then." Amelia said after a moment. "Thank you for your time, Rose." 

"You're welcome. I wish everyone knew that he was innocent…" Rose said as she left. Rose hadn't thought about the stigmatism that would follow her kids around. To the wizarding world, they would be a serial murder's children.

Rose was given her things at the Atrium and apperated to Grimmauld Place. Ginny was the first one to spot Rose. 

"She's home everyone! She's here!" Ginny yelled when Rose came inside. Ginny gave Rose a bear hug. 

Harry bolted down the stairs; he looked rapturous at the sight of Rose. He carefully hugged her; he didn't want to hurt her. 

Rose told everyone about the trial. She made a mental note to bring up Fudge's strange behavior at the next Order meeting. 

"I believe that I need to teach someone how to ride a motorcycle." Rose said once she finished talking about the trial. Harry beamed.

"If it's alright with Molly, we can go to a place I know that is perfect for riding motorcycles."

Mrs. Weasley agreed, she said she could do with a day to herself. 

The next day Rose took Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to a park 20 minutes away. Rose and Harry rode the motorcycle. The others took the Floo Powder to a place that was five minutes away from the park.

Rose taught Harry how to get on and accelerate the motorcycle without falling over. Harry picked up on it really fast. Harry rode around the parking lot for a while, he mastered riding in circles _very_ fast. Ginny and Hermione were doing homework together on the jungle gym. Ron watched Harry and every once and a while he'd watch Hermione. 

Rose watched Harry intently; she couldn't handle him getting hurt while under her care. After half an hour of parking lot driving, Harry asked if he could go around the block.

"Only if you obey the driving laws." Harry gave Rose a blank look. "Which means, stop at stop signs, don't speed, and don't use magic." 

"Ok, I'll be back in a few minutes." Rose watched as Harry rode out of the park. 

Rose and Ron talked about Quidditch until Harry returned after 15 tense minutes. Rose could breath again.

"How'd it go?" Rose asked after Harry turned the bike off.   
  
"It was great! I can't wait till I can go long distances!" Rose smiled ~ _Typical Boy._ ~

"We should get back soon, I need to help Molly prepare for the meeting tonight." Ron and Harry grinned. "No, there won't be anyone leaving with a broken nose tonight, sorry." Rose had to be nice to Severus tonight, she had a favor to ask him. 

The meeting went well that night. Kingsley mentioned that Amelia Bones sounded interested in fighting Voldemort in a more active way. Rose was glad. Severus went on and on about his work and how important it was. Rose tried to look interested. Rose gave her input on Fudge's strange behavior. Dumbledore said he'd put someone on it. Rose wondered who it was. 

After the meeting, Rose practically had to tackle Severus to stop him from leaving right away. 

"What is it?" He said sharply.

"I need to ask you a favor, Severus." Severus gave a stifled laugh.

"What is it?" He said in a pompous voice.

"I'm pregnant-"  
  
"Then I can't do _that_ for you, can I?" Snape said crudely. Rose resisted the urge to slap the smirk off Snape's face.

"I need a prenatal potion twice a day. It would be of great assistance to me if you brewed it while I'm at school." Rose handed Severus the instructions.

"A bit over your head?" He asked smugly.

"No, it's not over _my _head. I don't want to go to your office as often as I would have to in order to get the necessary ingredients." Rose said objectively. 

"I'll do it, only because your presence in my office would be annoying." Severus left before Rose could say anything in retaliation. 

As soon as Severus left, Remus came up to Rose and asked what she and Severus were talking about.

"I asked him to brew a prenatal potion for me." Rose said indifferently,

"Oh, OK. Only three weeks left, you know." Remus said sadly. Rose hadn't realized that school was _that_ close to starting.

"Wow, I didn't realize. We need to go to Diagon Alley. I have to buy Maternity Robes, parchment, quills, and other things! Thanks for reminding me Remus." 

Rose gave him a quick hug. Rose went up to her room and compiled a list of everything she'd have to buy. Remus stood in the same spot for a few minutes before leaving. 

Rose fell asleep early that night. Sirius came into her room around midnight. He looked at Rose with immeasurable longing. Sirius held Rose's hand and stroked it lovingly. 

"I have to leave for a while…" Sirius said softly.

"You already have, remember?" Rose reminded him.

Sirius smiled feebly. He opened his mouth to say something but didn't. Sirius moved Snuffles closer to Rose, kissed her gently on her cheek, and left the room. 

Rose sat up a few minutes later and mentally replayed the dream she just had.

~_Why did he say he'd leave me **now**? He's been dead for almost two months…~_ Rose couldn't figure out where in her mind that came from. 

~_He's dead Rose, get that through your mind. He can't leave you, because he's already gone. He can't come back either stupid._ ~ Rose talked to herself in this manner for a while before she drifted off to sleep.

A few days later they all made the annual trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies. Remus accompanied them. Diagon Alley was crowded as usual. Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron went off on their own. Mrs. Weasley went to buy the books that everyone needed. Remus went with Rose to buy her new robes.

"Remus, can I tell you something?" Rose realized it was a silly question, but she didn't like to spring things on people unexpectantly.

"Sure." Remus said in a casual voice. His heart started to race.

"I've been having dreams. Weird dreams. Ones about Sirius." Rose paused to look at a maroon colored set of robes.

"Well, that's to be expected." Remus said assuringly.

"In my dreams, he talks to me like he's there with me. He'll talk to me about things that happened over the day…" Rose's voice trailed off. 

Remus gave her a look of great concern. "These started _after_ he died?" 

"Yes. They started…." Rose had to think for a minute. "A few days after Harry got here. He even congratulated me on being pregnant." Rose had a few robes to try on. Rose went into the changing room. "I don't know if I'm going crazy, or if I'm mentally projecting the conversations I would have with him if he was alive." Rose came out of the dressing room.

"What do you think?" She asked turning around so Remus could see the robes from all angles.

"It looks great, a bit long though." Remus always kidded Rose about being short. Rose gave Remus a 'you-know-what-I-meant' look. "I don't think you're crazy, Rose." He said grinning mischievously. Rose went back into the changing room and put her regular clothes on.

"Thanks, I needed to tell someone." Rose went to Madame Malkin to get her measurements so her robes could be hemmed. "After this, do you want to go get ice-cream? My treat." Remus agreed.

They went to the ice-cream parlor and got sundaes. Rose noticed that Ron and Hermione were sitting together alone _and_ they were holding hands. Rose couldn't wait for school to start.

A/N: That's all for now. Some _interesting_ thinks will happen _soon_. Muuahhh! 

Some questions to ponder… Why is Rose having such vivid dreams about Sirius… How will Dumbledore see if Fudge is being persuaded by another person… Will Madame Bones join the order…. Does Remus have feelings for Rose… Does _Snape_ have feelings for Rose…

Give me your feedback on these questions…not to mention the chapter.


	10. Back at Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Thanks for reviewing. I just thought I'd lay out some of the ideas I'm toying with. 

A/N2: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Rose had to go to Hogwarts a week before school started. Rose left early on August 25th. She took the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade. Stan had read about Rose in the 'Prophet'. 

"You're the one they call 'the Black Widow'!" He exclaimed when Rose gave them her name. Rose rolled her eyes. Stan examined Rose critically. "I guess all those years in Mexico made you a bit darker than you were, eh?" Rose nodded amicably; she didn't bother to tell him that she'd always been dark. Rose found a seat far away from Ernie and Stan.

Rose hated riding the Knight Bus. It made her sick to her stomach, morning sickness didn't help either.

Rose arrived in Hogsmeade a few hours later. Hagrid met her at the gates to Hogwarts.

"Hi Hagrid!" Rose called happily. Rose spotted Hagrid right away. 

"Hiya Rose. I was s'pose to 'elp yeh with yer trunks, but it looks like yeh got it handled." Rose was using the locomotor charm to move her luggage.

"I could use the company nonetheless. How was your summer?" Rose wondered what Hagrid had been up to.

"Umm…I er… spent some time…in the mountains." Hagrid said evasively. Rose hoped that 'in the mountains' didn't mean finding a mate for Gwap. Harry told Rose about that. 

"Sounds nice. Harry's taken to the motorcycle really fast." Rose said non-presumptuously. Rose didn't want to make Hagrid uncomfortable by asking him questions about Gwap. Hagrid went with Rose up to the castle and helped her take her trunks to her chamber.

"Thanks Hagrid." Rose said when they got all her stuff into her chamber.

"No problem. I'll see yeh. I got…er…things to do…bye." 

Rose unpacked her trunks. She brought things to hang up in her office. Rose had several pictures of Sirius and herself together. Rose had a few of Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, Peter, and herself. Rose put up a map of Mexico and her Auror badge from Mexico. She also put up a couple of articles about work she did there. Rose examined her office when she was finished. It wasn't plain, but it wasn't overdone either.

Rose spent most of the next week going over her lessons with a fine-tooth comb. She didn't want to give second rate lessons. A few days before school started Rose went to Snape's office, she had to ask him another favor. Rose knocked on the door; she'd hate to walk in on anything that would haunt her dreams.

"Come in" Came Snape's voice. Rose entered. Snape looked up from what he was reading. "What do you need?" Snape asked curtly. Rose resented how he talked down to her.

"I need to sketch the Mark on your arm." Rose said evenly. Snape recoiled his left arm from his desk.

"Why?" Snape asked suspiciously.  
  
"I need it for my class, I want to show them what the Dark Mark looks like on someone's arm." Rose said patiently.

"Can't you take a picture? A sketch would take a while." Snape said, even though he didn't mind spending time with Rose.

"I could, but if I show my classes a picture someone, besides Hermione, will figure out that in order to take a picture, I'd have to know someone who is a Death Eater. 

"If word spread, especially to the wrong ears, that the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was close enough to a Death Eater to take a picture of his arm, questions will be asked. I didn't think you'd want to face those questions the next time you rendezvous with Voldemort." Rose said causing Snape to flinch at the sound of Voldemort's name. 

"So, I thought it would be best if I sketched the mark, that way the students would assume I based my drawing from speculation and a lot of reading." Rose concluded.

"If you must…" Snape said in a Gilderoy Lockhart 'I'm-so-darn-popular' tone. Snape rolled up his sleeve revealing the black mark etched into his flesh.

Rose sat down and pulled out her parchment quill, and ink. Rose took Severus' arm and laid it flat against the desk. She started by drawing his arm, careful not to draw any recognizable features. 

"Thanks by the way." Snape said meekly. Rose looked up, she had a baffled expression of her face. "For considering the ramifications of taking a picture. I wouldn't have thought about it that way." Snape admitted.   
  
If Rose had been drinking something, she would have spewed out of shock. She didn't know how to respond. "Oh… I had a lot of alone time this week to think. When I think I go through all the possible scenarios. Your welcome, I guess." Rose said as she continued to draw.

"Sorry if I broke your nose when I punched you…I kinda lost my temper…" Rose apologized, she was red.

"I egged you on, I was out of line anyway. I did mean what I said about not meaning to upset you that day your dad died." Severus mumbled. "I've felt horrible for the way I treated you at school for a long time now."  
  
Rose was starting to wish she had taken a picture of his arm. 

~ _This is awkward. Almost finished_ ~ Rose thought quickening her drawing pace.

"OK, all done. Thanks Severus. I'll see you around." Rose left as quickly as good manners allowed. 

__

~That was bizarre.~ Rose thought as she returned to her office. ~_I could use a conversation with Sirius tonight.~_

Rose didn't dream about Sirius though. She woke up slightly disappointed. 

Rose was happy that the students would arrive later that day. That meant that Remus would come too, he would arrive really late though. Rose had asked Remus to help her with one particular lesson that would have a deeper impact if he helped. Rose also wanted to Remus to establish a connection with the class so he wouldn't have difficulties when he subbed for her in February. Remus said he would stay for the whole week if he could. 

Rose got ready for the feast ridiculously early, mainly because she was extremely nervous. Rose decided to wear midnight blue robes. On her way to the Great Hall Rose ran into (rather through) Sir Nick.

"Hello Professor." He said happily.

"Evening Sir Nick." Rose replied. She was still trying to shake the eerie feeling people got when they walked through a ghost.

"I've heard that there's a holiday in Mexico call 'The day of the dead'." Sir Nick began. "What do they do on that day, it sounds most intersting."

"Well, it honors ancestors and loved ones who have died. People cook food that the person liked, put out the person's favorite things…" Rose continued her explanation of the holiday all the way to the Great Hall. Sir Nick said he _his_ family to do that.

Rose was seated in the spot that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor always sat, in-between charms and potions. Rose talked with Professor Flitwick about some charms that are unique to Mexico. 

When the students arrive Rose watched them, eyeing each student with scrutiny. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved at Rose. Rose smiled back. Ron and Hermione were holding hands. Severus interrupted her people watching.

"You're not the only one who knows 'unique' charms." He said arrogantly.

"The ones you know are referred to as 'unforgivable curse'. It's not a good thing to know to do those." Rose chuckled at her wit. "Anyone can do them, most choose not to learn them, Severus, there's a difference."

"Real humorous, Professor. Maybe you should pursue a career in, what do the muggles call it, Stand up comedy?" Severus smirked at his own brilliance.

"Did you have to stay up all night to think of that one? Judging by the proud look on your face, I'd say you did." Rose and Severus continued the banter until the sorting.

Ron and Harry were watching Rose and Snape talk with great anticipation. They wanted to see a fight. They were appalled to see them both smiling and laughing. 

"Maybe… I know! He put her under the Imperius Curse and is making her talk to him!" Ron said wildly. 

"OR Rose is talking to him because he's the only person her age here. She hasn't had a lot of people to talk to the past week." Hermione said suppressing her "you're-such-an-idiot" tone.

"Come on Hermione, if you and Malfoy were stuck together for a week, would you talk to him?" Ron asked, he looked as if he really wanted to know the answer.

"I guess, we'd probably make fun of one another most the time. I bet that's what they're doing."   
  
Harry wanted to hear the conversation if Hermione was right.

Professor McGonagall came in with the first years. The sorting went as usual. Rose could tell that some of them were more terrified than others. When the Sorting was over Dumbledore told everyone to tuck in and food appeared on the golden plates. The feast was as good as it's ever been. Rose longed for a good Mexican meal. 

After the feast, Dumbledore stood up.

"Hello and welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I would like to tell the 1st years and remind the older students that the forest on the grounds is forbidden. Mr. Filch, the caretaker has added 5 more items to his list of things that are contraband in the hallways, I believe they are all from Weasley Wizarding Wheezes…"Dumbledore said smiling.

"I would like to introduce to you the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Black." Dumbledore said indicating Rose.

Rose waived to the mass of perplexed faces. Rose could practically see the thought bubble form above the students. 'Is this the same Rose the 'Daily Prophet' wrote about?' The students clapped politely. Rose noticed that the Gryffindor and Slytherin were applauding the loudest.

Dumbledore waited for silence before he continued. He went on to say that Quidditch tryouts where next Friday. After a few other comments, he sent everyone off to bed. 

Rose didn't linger around the Great Hall, she did say 'Hi' to Harry before she went to her chambers. When Rose got there she changed into her pajamas. She curled up on the couch (yes, she brought a couch) by the fire and started to read. Rose had been reading for a while when someone knocked at the door.

"Come in." Rose called. Remus came in. "HI!" Rose got up and hugged Remus. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm alright. It was a long ride on the Knight Bus. I can't believe they ran that article on you in the Prophet." Remus said disdainfully. Rose shrugged as she sat back onto the couch. 

"Sit down, I promise it will be much more comfortable than the Bus." Rose jested. Remus sat down next to Rose. Rose used Remus as a pillow as she re-opened the book. Rose was comfortable with Remus.

~ _Breathe Remus, breathe. She likes me! No, she must trust me. SHE TRUSTS ME! That makes, 4 men that Rose has ever trusted… Let's see: Dumbledore, her dad, Sirius, and ME!_ ~ Remus thought excitedly. 

"Have a fun week, Rose?" Remus asked brimming with joy.

"It was a week, nothing eventful happened." Rose said giggling.

"What? Was there a non-eventful funny moment?" Remus inquired.

"It was… well, I like to salsa dance. I haven't done so for a while. On Wednesday, I put on my red salsa dress, played some music, and was dancing. I had the music so loud that I didn't hear him knocking. I didn't realize he was there until he turned the music off." Rose said still laughing.

"Who?" Remus was thinking it was Dumbledore or Hagrid.

"Severus. He came to give me my potion. He was redder than my dress! When he regained composure, he said he was surprised that Sirius and I don't have children already with the way I dance. I said that I was surprised that he hasn't had more broken noses with the way he talks." Rose chuckled loftily. "I'll always out-wit him."  
  
Remus forced out a laugh. "Funny."

~ _Great Snivellus is getting on her good side. I hope she sees through it. No, wait if Rose is happy… NO it's SNAPE. Rose + Snape don't equal happy. But what if Rose + Happiness equals Snape. It should equal ME._ ~ Remus hadn't been this conflicted for a while.

"I think I'll go to bed, it's late and you have to teach tomorrow." Remus said getting up. 

"I'll see you in the morning." Rose said giving Remus a quick hug before he left for his room. Rose decided she should go to bed also.

Rose dreamt about the first time Sirius met her dad.

~ Dream ~

Rose had written her dad about her boyfriend Sirius, and her dad was eager to meet him. Rose and Sirius walked out off the train holding hands. Rose spotted her dad right away. He didn't exactly blend in. He was short (about 5'5") and could pass for an ethnic Santa Clause if dyed his beard white. Rose let go of Sirius' hand and ran to her dad.

"Daddy!" Rose embraced her father for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. 

Sirius smiled, ~ _Daddy's little girl_. ~ Sirius knew that Rose and her dad were close just from the frequency he came up in conversations.

"Daddy, I'd like to introduce Sirius Black, my boyfriend. Sirius, this is my dad, Richard." Richard's smile evaporated and his eyes narrowed as he examined his daughter's beau.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Rose could hear the nervousness in Sirius' voice. 

~ _He could kill me in one fail swoop._~ Sirius thought wildly. ~_ I can definitely see where Rose got her pissed off look from…_ ~

"Rose talks about you all the time." Sirius said, cutting through the silence.

"Daddy, why don't we go get dinner somewhere?" Rose asked. Rose grabbed her trolley and pushed in towards the exit.

"I'll get it Rose." Sirius offered. He didn't want to spend anytime alone with Richard yet.

Rose walked next to her dad holding onto his arm. "Daddy, will you please be nice? I love him." Richard didn't respond.

"This is the car, Sirius." Richard said after Sirius passed the car. Sirius turned the trolley around and helped Richard with the trunks while Rose waited in the car.

"You like my daughter." Richard said in a flat voice.  
  
"I love her, sir." Sirius corrected him without thinking.

Richard didn't say anything else, he was trying to accept the idea of his baby being in love.

It didn't take them long to find a restaurant. They sat at a booth. Rose sat next to Sirius. 

"So, what do you plan to do after Hogwarts?" Richard asked.

Sirius hadn't considered his post-school plans much. "Erm… I might work for the Ministry."  
  
"That's the government, Daddy." 

"What part? Military, blue-collar, white-color, law enforcement…?" Sirius wasn't sure what the color of someone's collar had to do with anything.

"I don't know. I may not work right away." Sirius said airily. Rose cringed, not a good thing to say.

"Daddy, I think I'll get a job for the Ministry too. I want to be an auror, it's like the FBI for wizards." Rose said sweetly. Rose thought that would change the mood of the conversation, she was wrong.

"You want to live over here, for good?" Her dad asked scowling slightly. Sirius was confused. 

~ _Do they live in another part of the country…_~ Sirius wondered.

"Did you know that Rose is the smartest witch in our year?" Sirius asked, he could tell that Rose had slipped into hot water.

"No, she said she was doing 'alright'." Richard said smiling proudly. "What's your class standing?" Sirius shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Top 15, I think." Sirius said evasively. Rose knew that Sirius was being over generous in his estimation. 

"Grades aren't important to me." Rose said averting her dad's attention onto her again.

"What is important, then? In a man." Rose was furious at her dad for putting her on the spot like that.

"Well, someone who is smart, funny, sweet, sensitive, strong. Someone who knows how to say he's sorry and how to avoid 'I'm sorry' situations most of the time. Someone who can learn from mistakes. Someone who says how he feels. Someone who is drop-dead gorgeous. Someone who knows my faults and still loves me." Sirius was getting worried; this picture was getting a bit beyond him. "I wouldn't date anyone who didn't meet all my qualifications." Rose finished triumphantly. 

Her dad looked impressed. 

~ End Dream ~

Rose woke up early. Rose thought about her dream. She wished Sirius could've known her dad better. Rose still missed her dad frequently. 

Rose got dressed and went to breakfast. She took her time eating. She _really_ wanted refried beans with the eggs that were served that day. Harry came up to the table.

"Morning Ro- Professor Black." Harry said correcting himself. He knew he'd have to train himself to refer to his godmother as professor.

"Excited for classes?" Rose asked, she knew that Harry had her first.

"Only my first one." Harry said grinning. Severus arrived at the staff table at that time.

"Surely you can't have questions _already_ Potter." Snape said scathingly.

Rose responded before Harry could. "Professor Snape, I realize you're confused by the idea that a student may _want_ to talk to his professor, but in most cases it happens. Just not yours." 

~_Score: Rose 10, Snape: nil. Hermione was right, they do banter on another. _~ Harry thought excitedly.   
  
"I'm sure that _any_ student, especially one as ill adept for learning such as Harry, would _love_ to have their godmother teach their classes."

~ _Hello, I'm right here, jerk._ ~ Harry thought angrily.

"Hmm, good point. That would be valid if I wasn't teaching Harry's best subject." Rose retorted.

~_YEAH take THAT Snape._ ~ Harry was enjoying this. 

"I'll see you I class Harry." Rose would've told Harry to sit down earlier, but she wanted him to hear her defend him. Harry went back to Gryffindor table, he watched Rose and Snape for the duration of breakfast.

Rose went to the classroom to help Remus prepare. Rose had Gryffindors first. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in the front row with a boy that must have been. Rose started once the bell rang.

"Good Morning class. I am Professor Black. This year-" Rose saw a girl's hand go up in the air. "Yes, miss…"  
  
"Brown, Lavender Brown. You're Rose Black, the widow of the mass murderer?" The girl asked unabashedly.   
  
"I am Sirius Black's widow. Back to course pertinent things, this year we will cover: tools that Dark Wizards use to infiltrate our ranks, how to recognize Dark Wizards, and how to fight Dark Wizards. We will start today with the Polyjuice potion. Who can tell me what a Polyjuice Potion is?"  
  
Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?" Hermione rambled off the answer perfectly.

"Very good, I would have said it the same way. 15 points to Gryffindor. Now can anyone tell me how to recognize someone who has taken a polyjuice potion?" No one raised their hand right away. Hermione looked like she was in deep thought. She slowly raised her hand. "Miss Granger."  
  
"Well, one could watch for inconsistencies in a person's behavior. Another indication may be a sudden change in character as in hating something then liking it all of a sudden." Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Good. 10 points to Gryffindor. I would like for you all to copy the notes on the board." Rose waved her wand and notes appeared. Harry felt slightly disappointed, he thought Rose's class would be more fun. The class had been taking notes for 10 minutes when the door opened and Rose walked in.   
  
The class did a double take. Rose was at the door and Rose was walking up and down the aisles. 

"Which of us is Professor Black?" The Rose at the door asked.

"Which of us is the imposter?" The Rose in the class asked. The class was dumbfounded.

Harry raised his hand. "Yes Mr. Potter?" Both Roses said in unison.

"Wouldn't the _real_ Professor Black have a wedding ring on?" Both Roses were standing side-by-side now.

"Rings can be duplicated." One Rose said.

"Any other guesses?" The other asked. No one responded. "Come on! You will face Dark Wizards impersonating good wizards! If you can't figure out how to distinguish between us, how will you when it's important?"  
  
Ron raised his hand. "Mr. Weasley?"  
  
"Polyjuice potions only last for one hour, so if we stopped both of you from drinking anything for an hour we'll know who's real and who the imposter is." Hermione looked impressed at Ron's rare deductive reasoning.

"Excellent Mr. Weasley. Now will you all continue to take notes. For homework, read chapter on Polyjuice Potions in your book and write a 12 inch summary and practical application on the chapter."

"When will we know who is who?" Neville asked. His brain hurt.

  
"You'll find out before class ends."

One Rose sat at the desk and the other walked among the students. Ten minutes before the class ended, the Rose at the desk turned into Remus Lupin. The class was thrilled to see their former professor.   


The Gryffindors left and the Slytherins came in. The class went along like the one before until Remus changed into himself and the class gasped.

"You let a _werewolf_ help?" Malfoy said contemptuously.

"Twenty-five points from Slytherin. Professor Lupin happens to be one of my best friends." Rose said dangerously.

"You're a Black, a Pureblood!" Malfoy didn't realize he was treading on thin ice. 

"For your information, Mr. Malfoy, I am not a pureblood." Rose said bluntly.

"You mean you're a _mudblood_?" Malfoy burst out before he could stop himself.

Anger swam across Rose's face. "Fifty points from Slytherin, and detention every Friday for the next two months. I'll speak to your head of house also." Malfoy didn't respond out of fear of what Rose would do, but he was pissed.

No one spoke until the end of class where Rose gave them more homework than any other house. 

Rose was relieved that the rest of the classes went better than the Slytherin's class. By dinner, word of Rose's encounter with Malfoy spread though the school. Only the Slytherins were mad at her. Most of the Slytherin wrath was focused on Malfoy for losing 75 points in _one_ class. 

Remus joined the rest of the school for dinner, Rose was glad. She didn't want to get in an argument with Snape. Rose knew that an argument was coming when she saw the foul look Snape gave her at dinner.

Severus went to Rose's office that evening. Rose wasn't there, so he knocked on her chamber doors.

Severus went to Rose's office that evening. Rose wasn't there, so he knocked on her chamber doors.

~ _She's listening to that music again_. _She is…wow. PREGNANT! She's pregnant, pregnant does not mean open game. She is single though. She's widowed you nimrod. That does mean she could be looking for someone…hmm._~ Snape turned the music off before he went off. 

"You forgot to get your potion." He thrust the goblet into her hand. 

"Thank you… I need to talk to you about a student of yours. Give me a moment so I can change." Severus left her room and waited in Rose's office. Rose came out after few minutes. 

"Mr. Malfoy told me what happened in class today."

"Then you agree with the punishment?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really. He has to come _here_ every Friday for two months?" Severus asked. Rose nodded. "That's all?"

"I'm not giving him holiday or anything. He'll write lines every time. Besides making it last for two months will be worse than two straight weeks of detention. While he's writing lines, I'll tell him about my time at Hogwarts, all the name calling. Hopefully I'll be able to change his attitude on Muggle born." Rose said as she finished off the rest of the potion. "Thanks Severus."

Snape was inwardly impressed. He realized two things. Rose had very superb control over her temper and he must have _really_ pissed her off at the meeting. Snape was glad he walked away with just a broken nose. Severus thought that subliminal message would definitely sink in over two months. 

Severus took the goblet from Rose and bid goodnight. 

Snape left Rose's office carried away by his thoughts. 

~ _She's an intellectual at heart... She was able to master her anger and use it to benefit her… She is brilliant and beautiful... She probably hates me… Scratch probably…. She holds her own when it comes to wit... OK, she schools me in 'wit duels'. She does enjoy that. She could like me, I was never incarcerated…_ ~ Snape was lost in delusional thought for the rest of the night. 

A/N: Read and Review! Thoughts, theories, all are appreciated. And a hundred thanks to every one who has reviewed and to the rest of you. *evil glare*


	11. Oh Fudge!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try and indicate whose.

Please tell me what you think by reviewing. By the way, I've edited the previous chapters, if you want to see the changes. Most are word choices and phrasing, I did add some things too.

The one and only me: I didn't mean to insinuate that Sirius isn't smart, I meant to say that his academic performance wasn't up to par with his abilities (I changed the class rank just to appease you). How is Harry being feminine? Why can't Remus or Severus have a relationship with Rose? It would break up the triteness of my story. I like writing Rose as an over-emotional person. I think she's entitled to her 'moodiness.' Thanks for reviewing!

Rose woke up the next morning almost dreading the day to come. She didn't want classes to go as they did the day before. Rose felt releived when her classes went well. Most the students respected her, or were just scared they'd end up in detention for a year if they acted up. 

Remus was an immense help to Rose during the first week. He helped her find a boggart to use in one class. Rose was tempted to find Neville and have him fight it so she could see the boggart Snape, but didn't. (A/N: Don't we all want to see that?) Remus also told Rose that Mundungus was useful in acquiring more illicit items for class, not that Remus did that…

Rose was amused and alarmed on Wednesday when the 'Prophet' printed an article about Fudge loosing his grips on reality. It read:

__

Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has been, as noted by his colleagues, 'very paranoid' over the last year. The Junior Secretary to the Minister, Percy Weasley, was over-heard saying that "all this nonsense started when the Minister saw a grim one day while he was visiting a friend at St. Mungo's." Since then, the Minister has become increasing mistrustful of everyday situations. Apparently, he has put two senior members of the Law Enforcement Squad on sweeps of the Ministry for 'any stray black dogs' as recently as last week. 

Fudge's growing paranoia is coupled with his increasing incompetence. A colleague, who wishes to remain anonymous, cites Fudge's growing and more public dependence on his new Senior Secretary, previously unknown American-born Robert Johnson, as a sign of his shortcomings as the Minister of Magic. Other associates have noticed that Fudge is forgetting routine procedures of his job such as calling a person to testify, how to perform his biyearly checks of Azkaban, and the names of the department heads. 

Hopefully, Fudge will get a grip on his job or he will face a grim reality.

-Rita Skeeter, correspondent.

~_I wonder who Dumbledore has following Fudge?_ ~ Rose wondered after she read the article. 

Rose asked the other staff, as time allotted, if they knew anything about Dumbledore sending someone to investigate Fudge. All the staff where wondering the same thing, but no one knew for sure. Some people said that it was Kingsley or Tonks; others thought it was Percy. No one had a definitive answer. 

Rose had to push that out of her mind so she could teach. On Friday she had a word with Malfoy about his detention that night.

"Mr. Malfoy, your detention is tonight." Rose said sharply after breakfast.

"What time is it, _Professor_?" He asked snottily.

"At 8 o'clock sharp in my office, and I'd be there on time Mr. Malfoy, unless you enjoyed being a ferret." Rose said coolly. Malfoy stalked off to his class.

All of Rose's classes flew by that day. Harry stopped by Rose's office in-between class.

"Hi Professor!" Harry said beaming.

"Hello Harry." Rose said wondering what brought his good mood about.

"Guess what? I made captain this year!" Harry said unable to wait for a response.

"That's great!" Rose said enthusiastically. 

"There's something else." Harry said in an undertone. "Did you read the article in 'The Daily Prophet'?"

"Yes, I did. I'm not sure what it means. If I did, I couldn't tell you Harry." Rose murmured so only Harry could hear.

Harry left slightly disappointed.

That evening Rose graded papers after dinner. After a few hours of doing so, Rose checked her clock to see if she had time for a shower. ~_I have 45 minutes until Malfoy shows up, that should be plenty of time._~ Rose thought as she turned the water on.

Rose took a long, hot shower. Rose took her time, she didn't need to worry about Malfoy until eight. Rose got out and dried off. She slipped into her bathrobe and checked her watch. ~_Still have 15 minutes_~ Rose thought proudly. Rose started to brush her hair, then she heard something in her office.

Rose grabbed her wand and went to investigate. It was Malfoy. 

"Mr. Malfoy, What are you doing here, already?" Roes asked irritably.

Malfoy stared at Rose, her robe showed every possible curve, including her growing stomach.

"I... didn't want to be late." Malfoy said. He believed Rose when she said alluded to him being a ferret. 

Malfoy couldn't tear his eyes away from Rose's stomach, he didn't know she was pregnant.

"Wait in a seat until I am ready." Rose said as she went back into her chamber. Rose couldn't believe that Malfoy believed an obviously idle threat. Rose came out 15 minutes later fully dressed. Rose sat at her desk; Malfoy sat at the end of the desk. 

"You brought parchment, ink, and quills I presume?" Rose asked. Malfoy didn't say anything, he just fished out each item.

"Good, I want you to write, 'I love Muggle Borns'. While you write, I'll tell you about my time at Hogwarts." Rose said vindictively. 

Draco started to write as Rose went into tedious detail about getting her letter, leaving home, and having separation anxiety. 

"My dad and I were really close. I was his only daughter. I lived with him; my parents were divorced. They divorced when I was five. I actually have two half brothers and a half sister; I haven't seen them for years though. Anyway, I had my first plane ride when I came to Hogwarts. It was a 13-hour ride from Seattle to London." 

"Professor, what's a plane?" Malfoy asked.

~ _Good, he's listening_ ~ Rose thought merrily. 

"Oh, a plane is a vehicle that muggles use to fly from place to place. I'll get a picture of one some time." Rose told Malfoy.  
  
"Why'd you have to use a plane?" Malfoy asked.

"I lived in Washington State, in the United States. I couldn't drive to King's Cross. Anyway, I didn't know anyone when I came to Hogwarts. I met Lily Evans right away. We became best friends. We were both sorted into Gryffindor.

"I was really shy, so I didn't get to know many people during the first year. I was always in the top of my class though. Slytherins constantly picked me on for being a muggle born. Lily was muggle born too, but she was more popular and always had more people around her. One boy in particular would hex me in the halls all the time. (A/N: Rose is referring to Snape, she doesn't say who 'cause it would undermine his teaching authority'.)

"I quickly learned some hexes myself and would hex his before he could hex me. One time I wrote 'Dirty rotten slime ball' in his hair using a very clever hex. It took him the whole day to figure out that it was there, another week to find the counter curse. James Potter and Sirius Black received detention for it; I told them it was me. I was going to confess but they stopped me. They wanted credit for that one. 

"I missed my dad a lot that year. I would write him all the time, but it would take a week for the owl to get there and back. Everyone would ask why it took him so long to respond. I would lie and say he was a slow writer. I didn't tell anyone I was from the United States. I thought I was abnormal enough. I didn't have a lot of free time to socialize because I was taking Muggle classes on top of the regular classes. I was also embarrassed because I didn't have any wizard parentage.

"I got tired of people calling me a mudblood all the time. I learned to ignore it thought. I would to not loose my temper. When I lost my temper, I would accidentally do magic. It wasn't a good thing when that happened." Rose paused to check her watch; it was 10:30. Malfoy was writing away.

"I spent that summer in the US with my dad. When people asked me how I was going to spend my summer, I was evasive in my answers. I said I'd go camping or visit family. I'd never say where. 

"My second year went smoother. I still missed my dad and would cry at night out of homesickness. I would use a silencing charm on myself to stop anyone from hearing. Despite my yearning for home, I excelled in school. I mastered all the material presented in class and often went ahead of the class that I could do out side of class.

"I tried to go ahead in Potions, but it was too hard to get the ingredients, I was once caught sneaking ingredients out of the Potion Master's office. I almost got detention, but I convinced the Potion Master that I accidentally put them in my pocket and forgot they were there. 

"The Slytherins stopped trying to hex me in the hall, but the name calling never ceased. I did become a better friend to Lily. I started to talk to our roommates more. I begged Dumbledore for a floo powder connection to my dad's house, but he said it wasn't allowed to muggle houses under any circumstances. I asked my dad to send pictures of us to me. I kept them everywhere. Do you want to see one?" Rose didn't wait for a response. She opened her drawer and pulled out twelve pictures. 

Rose handed Malfoy the first one. "This is my dad and I when I was a baby." Malfoy could see the resemblance between Professor Black and her father.

Rose handed him the second one. "This is us when my parents divorced." Malfoy looked at it. Rose's eyes were bright and cheery. ~ _Apparently the idea of divorce hadn't sunk in, or maybe it was a happy reality for her. _~ Malfoy wondered which it was.

Rose showed Malfoy each picture in chronological order. Eleven photos later they reached number twelve.

"This one is the last picture we took together. I was about to go into my 7th year. My dad was murdered that year." Rose looked at the picture for a minute before she handed it to Malfoy. Malfoy tried to act unmoved by that information.

Rose looked at her watch again, it was 11:45. "You may go Mr. Malfoy, just sign your name at the bottom and date it also."

"But Professor…" Malfoy whined.

"Sign it." Rose said in a dangerous voice. Malfoy did. "Now give it here." Malfoy handed the parchment to Rose and left. 

Malfoy's mind was swimming with questions. ~_ I wonder who was a student with Black. I think my father was. He was probably older._ ~ Malfoy did some mental math. ~_ Yup, four years older. She is cool, for a mudblood. I love mudbloods. NO, you don't Draco. I can't believe she actually admitted to breaking school rules, most teachers act as if they were angels. Hexing people in the halls and stealing potion ingredients are worth a weeks detentions at least. I wonder if Professor Snape went to school with her, I think so. Yeah, they did. My father told me that he and Snape went to school together for four years. Snape and Black were in the same year. Hmm…_~

Rose spent the next day with Remus, he was returning to London for the week.

"What do you want to do?" Rose asked when Remus came to her room the next day.

"I'm doing it." Remus said plainly.

"Funny, Remus. Let's go for a walk, there won't be nice weather for a long time." Rose said looking out the window at the sunshine forging its way through the ominous clouds. 

Rose really enjoyed the weather; it was perfect walking weather. It wasn't so hot that they didn't want to be outside and it wasn't so cold they'd want to go inside right away.

Remus and Rose strolled around the lake talking about everything from Quidditch to the article in 'the Prophet'. 

"I told you that Harry is the Quidditch captain this year, right?" Rose asked.

"No, you didn't. I bet Harry is really happy about that." Remus said, fondly remembering Harry's enthusiasm borderline obsession with Quidditch. "Aren't you cold in this weather?" Remus thought that Rose would have little resistance to the cold after living in Mexico for almost 13 years.

"I didn't like the weather in Mexico. I never got use to it. I had a device that muggles use called an air conditioner. It made my house cooler than it was outside. You forget that I'm use to this weather. I grew up in Washington, the _rainy_ state…" Rose said thinking that Remus would know what that meant.

Remus didn't know much about the United States so he just smodded (smile and nodded) as Rose rambled on about her home state.

"I kinda miss Washington." Rose said after she finished talking about it.

"Yeah, it sounds interesting. Did you read the article in 'the Prophet' about Fudge?" Remus asked before Rose could say anything else about Washington.

"Yeah, I don't know what to think. Maybe Fudge's memory was modified and he that's why he can't remember some things." Rose theorized.

"That doesn't explain why he saw the grim, or why he's so scared of it." Remus said calculating the information, it didn't add up. 

"Good point. Maybe seeing black dogs trigger what it was that was erased from his memory…" Rose speculated. "Let's watch the Quidditch tryouts." Rose said as they neared the Quidditch field. 

Rose and Remus climbed up to some seats. It was the Slytherin tryouts. They were spotted right away. One of the players flew over to investigate.

"What are you doing here?" The person yelled as he flew closer. It was Malfoy. As he approached, he realized who he was addressing. "Professors." He added even though he had finished the sentence a few moments before. Malfoy was now eye level with Rose and Remus.

"There isn't any reason Professor Lupin and I can't be here, is there?." Rose said quietly.

"No Professor. I thought that you were a student. Sorry." Malfoy said as he flew back to the to team.

Rose sat down, she was overcome with a fit of giggles. "He thought _I_ was a student?" Rose said laughing. "I don't think any student has _this_ stomach. Want to see?" Rose asked taking her overcoat off.

Remus was going to decline, but Rose didn't give him a chance. She pulled her robes tight so that Remus could see the outline of her stomach. (A/N: Did you actually think she would take her robes off? EWW What were thinking? You're sick!)

Remus could see what Rose meant, her stomach had grown considerably. 

"And you're fitting _two_ in there?" Remus asked in a fake naive voice. 

"Well Remus, let me school you." Rose said in the most serious voice she could muster. "Some people, like me, have a genetic disposition to have twins. Twins are formed when an egg is fertilized and when the embryo splits the first time; it divides into two embryos. There are paternal twins, non-identical twins. They are formed when the woman's body lets two eggs out at once and both of them are fertilized." Rose said finishing her explanation of twins. Remus looked as if Rose had just told him that she was really a cross dressing monk.

"When or how did you learn that?" He asked. He was dazed by Rose's outpouring of knowledge. 

"I read it once in a biology book. I think I was 13 or 14 at the time." Rose said nonchalantly. Remus looked nonplussed by the word 'biology' so Rose explained on. "Biology is how muggles explain how the human body works."

"You really are a bookworm." Remus teased.

They watched the tryouts in silence until Remus asked Rose about something that plagued his thoughts. 

"Rose"  
  
"Yeah Remus."

"How are you going to raise your children?" Remus asked, causing Rose to avert all her attention on Remus.

"By 'how' you mean how will I manage to raise them without their father?" Rose clarified. Remus nodded. "I'm not sure. My dad raised me without my mom, for the most part. I don't want them to be hurt by a man who isn't there when they need a father. I want a man that could be a father. Someone mature enough and responsible enough to nurture two boys or girls." Rose said thoughtfully. 

"You've given this a lot of thought." Remus commented.

"I have to. I'm not depriving my children of a father figure. I don't want to deprive them of their father though…" Rose said feeling conflicted. "I can see the gamut of possibilities, I'm scared about acting on any of the options."

"Why?" Remus asked. He liked it when Rose opened to him like this.

"I'm afraid that doing something, like choosing a father for my children, will make Sirius' death permanent and final." Rose said sheepish, she realized it was ludicrous reasoning.

"Rose, Sirius is dead and death is final and permanent." Remus said carefully.

"I know. I'm just afraid of moving on with my life. I've always had Sirius to lean on. Even when he was in Azkaban, I saw him as a pillar in my life. A pillar I swore never to lean on again, but he was there. I can't physiologically get the idea that he's never coming back through my mind. I know he's dead. I don't think he'll stroll into my room one night and suddenly be back. I can't convince my heart to believe that." Rose said looking intently at Remus to get his response.

"So you're saying that your mind knows that he's dead, but your heart won't accept it." Remus asked for clarification. He found Rose's intellect confusing.

"Exactly. You always understand me Remus." Rose said resting her head on his shoulder. Remus put his arm around Rose's back.

~ _I wonder if she saw me as a part of the gamut of possibilities… ~_ Remus wondered.

They went back to the castle for a late lunch and Harry cornered them instantly.

"I heard that you two were in the stands during the Slytherin tryouts." Harry said enthusiastically. 

"Yeah, we were." Remus said indifferently.

"Well? Were there any good players? Who tried out?" Harry asked excitedly.

"We can't tell you that." Rose said automatically. She didn't pay much attention to the tryouts.

Harry sulked away. Remus and Rose exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Later that evening, Rose walked Remus to Hogsmeade.

"Have any plans for the week?" Rose asked.

"I think I'll find a biology book and read it." Remus said smiling. Rose chuckled. "I'll be back on Saturday." Remus told Rose as they entered Hogsmeade.

"Full moon on Friday, right?" Rose asked. Remus nodded. "Don't come if you don't feel up to it." Rose said maternally.

"Yes mother." Remus paused. "If you need anything I want you to contact me using this." Remus said handing Rose a green colored sheet of parchment. Rose had a baffled look on her face. "What you do is touch your wand to the parchment and say, 'We need to talk'. My paper will glow red and we'll be able to write back and forth. When we're done talking touch your wand to the paper and say, 'Talk to you later' and the paper will be cleared."

Rose was shocked but glad. "Thanks Remus. I'll test it later tonight or tomorrow. How will we know who we're talking to?" Rose asked.

"I don't know. I'll think of something." Remus said with a determined look on his face. Remus raised his wand in the air and the Knight Bus appeared out of no where. "I'll see you on Saturday." Remus said embracing Rose.

"'Bye Remus." Rose said watching Remus climb onto the bus with his suitcase in hand. Rose waited until the bus was out of sight, then she returned to the castle.

On Sunday, Dumbledore summoned Rose to his office.

"Rose, I realize that pregnant people get 'cravings' for certain foods. For that reason, I am assigning a house elf to you. He will get you food that you crave and be your personal house elf." Dumbledore told Rose.

"Thank you headmaster, but I don't want a slave to follow me around. I'd feel uncomfortable." Rose said crinkling her nose at the thought.

"I understand. However, this is a special house elf. He is paid and gets one day off a week." Dumbledore said in coaxing voice.

Rose furrowed her brow, contemplating the idea. "Can I meet this elf before I say yes?" Rose asked. Rose realized she was being obstinate. Most people would jump at the chance to get a house elf.

"Of course." Dumbledore said patiently. Dumbledore summoned the house elf. The small house elf appeared out of no where. He wore the worst put together outfit Rose had seen since the 80's. 

"Dobby, this is Professor Rose Black. She is Harry Potter's godmother." Once Dumbledore mentioned Rose's relation to Harry, the elf's face lit up with happiness.

Dobby bowed low. "It is a pleasure to meet the godmother of Harry Potter." Dobby squeaked.

"Hello Dobby, how are you?" Rose asked politely.

"I is doing very good ma'am. "Dobby squeaked.

"Dobby, would you like to serve Professor Black this year? She is pregnant and will need some extra help." Dumbledore explained to Dobby.

"I is more than willing to help." Dobby said excitedly. Dumbledore looked at Rose for an answer.

"Dobby, I'd love to have you help me. How much do you want to be paid?" Rose asked.

Dobby looked at Rose for a moment then answered, "One galleon a week." He said firmly.

"That's all? Are you sure?" Rose checked. Dobby nodded his head. "You can still work in the kitchen if you want, I won't have a lot of work for you. If I need something, I'll call you using floo powder." Rose told Dobby.

"Yes ma'am. I will be ready for anything that you need. Is you wanting anything special for breakfast tomorrow?" Dobby asked before he left.

"There is, now that I think about it. Could you make me refried beans?" Rose asked yearning for some right then.

"I is cooking it in the morning." Dobby said disappearing. 

Rose decided to ask Dumbledore about the article in 'the Prophet'.

"Headmaster, what did you think about the recent article in 'The Daily Prophet'? What do you think is going on with Fudge?" Rose asked, hoping for a definitive answer. 

"Rita Skeeter brought up some good points. The person I sent in to investigate has made some progress in explaining Fudge's behavior, but there isn't a concrete answer." The tone in Dubledore's voice said that he was done talking about that. "How are you feeling Professor?" He asked.

"I'm feeling well. My stomach is growing." Rose said complacently.

"When will Harry start Occulmency?" Dumbledore asked.

"On Tuesday. I think he'll learn better from my approach to it." 

"Good… good. I'll see you at dinner then." Dumbledore said, indicating that Rose could leave. 

Rose went to her office and decided to try Remus' parchment. 

"We need to talk." Rose said. She felt really foolish. Then writing appeared on the paper.

'Hi Rose. It worked. I started to read a biology book, it's intriguing.'

Rose wrote back. 'This is strange. I'll get use to it though. I knew you'd enjoy biology, especially anatomy and physiology.' Rose smiled as she wrote that last part.

Rose only talked to Remus for a short while.

On Tuesday, Harry had his first Occulmency lesson for the year.

"One thing that will help you learn Occulmency is learning legilimency. Once you understand how to break into someone's mind, you'll understand how to stop someone from breaking into yours." Rose explained to Harry. Harry's mind went wild at the possibilities.

"You may not use Legilimency on students." Rose said sharply, shattering Harry's plans for Malfoy.

"You need to concentrate to perform the spell. Focus all your energy on the other person and clear your mind of all thought." Rose instructed Harry. "Now, try to use Legilimency on me." Rose closed her eyes for a minute to concentrate.

"Legilimus!" Harry yelled, without any affect on Rose.

"I was blocking that with all my power. This time, I won't clear my mind or try to block you at all." Rose said to a slightly disappointed Harry. 

It took Harry a few tries, then he broke through.

Harry saw Rose hiding in her room listening to her parents argue. Then, he saw Rose (a few years older) reading with her dad. Harry saw Rose under the sorting hat and Rose hexing a particularly greasy haired boy. Harry saw a lot of memories. Rose didn't stop him until he ran into a memory he shouldn't have seen. 


	12. Drunken Nights

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

Harry fell back from the force of the curse being thrown off by Rose. He opened his eyes and saw his godmother standing over him.

"Are you alright, Harry?" She asked with a concerned look etched on her face.

~_ Does he realize what he saw?_ ~ Rose wondered as she helped Harry up.

"What did I see?" Harry asked as he was listening to Rose's thoughts. He didn't want to jump to conclusions. Despite Harry's best effort, the image of his godmother kept flashing through his mind.

Rose blushed as she answered. "That was me and-" Harry expected her to say "Sirius", but she said "Tomàs" instead.

"WHO?" Harry asked.

"Tomàs. When I moved to Mexico I would drink, a lot. One time, I when I was inebriated, I slept with a guy named Tomas." Rose said ashamedly. Harry looked appalled. 

"I thought you didn't date anyone while Sirius was in Azkaban."  
  
"I wasn't dating." Rose tried to say.

"Oh, you were just sleeping around then?" Harry shot at her.

"Listen Harry James Potter! I was angry, so I drank all the time. I didn't even realize what I did until I woke up the next morning. That was the ONLY time any thing like that EVER happened. After that, I stopped drinking hard liquor. I wasn't with anyone else after that." Rose's voice was close to a quaver when she finished.

Harry looked mortified. He hadn't thought of Rose as having a sex life, except for Sirius, but he didn't think about that either. 

"Did you tell Sirius?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Yes. When Sirius came to Mexico, he asked me if I had dated anyone since he was imprisoned. I told him about Tomas. He was upset, but understood. He didn't get angry because it had been 12 years since it happened." Rose explained. "Ready to block now?" Rose asked.

"Yes, just one more question. How did you stop me from seeing anymore of that memory without seeing my memories, and how did you stop me so abruptly?" Harry asked.

"That's two questions, but they're both good ones…" Rose said plunging into her answers. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose spent the next day teaching 3rd years how to fight boggarts. Rose was slightly disappointed that no one's greatest fear was Snape. When Rose showed them how to fight the boggart, she was slightly taken aback when the boggart turned into two dementers holding her babies and performing The Kiss. It took all of Rose's resolve to turn them into something funny. When she did, they became joined at odd parts. One time the butt of one dementer was fused to the thigh of the other. The class laughed about that. Rose thought it looked like mitosis gone wrong.

That evening after dinner, Rose approached Malfoy about his detention.

"Mr. Malfoy, I moved your detention from Friday night to Thursday." Rose told him in a businesslike tone.

"I scheduled the Quidditch pitch for then, Professor." Malfoy whined. He looked like someone had stolen his Jiffy Pop and scattered it on the floor.

"You're the captain, you can reschedule. Didn't you have tryouts on Saturday?" Rose asked.

"We had tryouts for _keeper_, now we need to see if Slytherin has any decent chasers." Malfoy said in a doubtful voice. 

"Well, you can make it work. Be there at eight, not a quarter till." Rose said leaving the Great Hall. 

Rose spent the evening grading essays. Around nine, she heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Rose asked. She wasn't expecting anyone.

"It's Severus."

"Come in." The door opened and Snape swept into the room.

"You should really work on the whole 'bat like movement' thing. Students might start talking." Rose joked. Severus didn't look amused.

"I just received an owl from Lucius Malfoy telling me that Draco is being unfairly treated be his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Severus said in an icy voice. He was standing over Rose ominously. 

"Severus, sit down. Stop towering over me. I'm not treating him unfairly. I rescheduled his detention to Thursday. That's not unfair, it's life." Rose said glaring at Snape. "Why didn't Malfoy go to you about this? Does he always run to his father?" 

"Yes, Malfoy knows the power his father can exert over people and milks it for all it's worth." Severus said malignity.

Rose understood the predicament Severus was in. If he told Draco off, his father would find out and then Voldemort would hear about it too. If he didn't come and talk to Rose about 'her treatment of Draco' the same thing would happen.

"I'm not going to back down. I guess if you act fowl towards me, they'll buy it. That way you won't get into any sticky situations with Voldemort." Rose said simply.

"_Don't say his name!_" Severus hissed. "That's what I came here to tell you. If I'm uncivil in front of the students, that is why. I didn't want you to think I was being an ass for kicks and giggles." Severus explained.

"I see." Rose said feeling slightly bewildered. Severus hardly ever considered other people's feelings. "Thanks for thinking about it like that." Rose said simpering.

"No problem, I had a lot of time this week to think about it." Snape said smirking. "I'll see you tomorrow." Severus said leaving.

"Goodnight." Rose said, returning to grading.

The next evening Draco showed up at 8 on the dot. 

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy." Rose said when Malfoy plopped onto his chair. Rose ignored his juvenile attempts to make her angry. 

He got his materials out and stared expectantly at Rose. "Professor Black, are you pregnant?" Malfoy asked brimming with curiosity. 

Rose didn't reply automatically. She considered saying no and giving him more detentions, but then that would be a lie and she _would_ be picking on him.

"I am, with twins if you must know." Rose said as if being pregnant was a common characteristic for teachers. "Are you waiting for my children to learn to write, Mr. Malfoy? Get started." Rose said causing Draco to snap into writing mode.

"My third year was a carbon copy of my second year." Rose began. Then she noticed Malfoy's perplexed expression. "A carbon copy is an exact replica. Muggle scientist use it." Rose explained.

Draco didn't know what a scientist was, but kept an even expression.

"I finally mastered conjuring and banishing things that year." Rose said as an after thought. "My fourth year was extremely eventful, in good and bad ways. I was sexually assaulted on the Hogwarts Express." Malfoy tried to keep a composed face, but looked constipated instead.

"My dad would drop me off ridiculously early so he could return the US. I would always go to platform 9 ¾, get on the train, and fall asleep in a compartment; I wasn't a morning person. I woke up and there was this blonde Slytherin there with two other Sytherins. The other two were his minions, not an ounce of intelligence. I was bound and silenced. The blonde tried to rape me. When he was about to 'do the deed', he was blasted backwards. I went for my wand and shrunk the blonde's 'package' and left. I found Lily and sat with her for the remainder of the trip. That fall-"

"Wait, you didn't get him in trouble, get him tried, put in detention for life, chop off his package?" Malfoy asked dismayed that Professor Black would let someone do that.

Rose was pleased with his indignation. "If I had, as you put it 'chopped off his package,' one of us wouldn't be here." Rose said tactfully. Rose could see the cogs in Draco's head working out what she had said.

Draco's eyes grew to the size of galleons. He went back to writing without speaking, his cheeks were redder than Percy's hair.

"I didn't tell you that to be mean, it explains some later events." Rose said non-apologetically. "That year we had a yule time ball. I got really excited, as any 15 year old would."  
  
"Fifteen? I thought this was your fourth year?" Malfoy asked.

"It was, I was 11 when I started and my birthday was during the school year. I was a bit older than most my peers. Anyway, a guy asked me to the ball. I didn't know him, but I said yes." Rose paused a moment to think about the phrasing of her next few sentences.

"He then yelled, in a very public area, that he 'wouldn't go to the ball with a mudblood if he was paid.' I was confused and angry, but didn't think about it much. A few days later, another guy asked me to the ball. I was a bit hesitant at first, but said yes. He made a scene similar to the previous person. I was seriously wondering what these guys were breathing because people on pure air don't act like that (A/N: that is a changed exert from 'Bill Cosby, Himself'. I'm not brilliant enough to think of that.) 

"That's the thing, they were on a _pure_ heir. I didn't know they were all in Slytherin until I walked by your father, those boys, and few others (A/N: Snape was part of the group. Rose doesn't say that because bla bla bla) One said 'there goes the mudblood slut'. I realized their scheme and how I was the centrifugal part in a Slytherin joke.

"I was asked to the ball by a few other guys, but I turned them all down. I wasn't taking any chances. Sirius and I ended up spending the whole ball together. James wanted to get Lily alone, so he asked Sirius to go ask me to do something. Sirius and I had a blast together. We played chess until after the ball was over, talked about a lot of stuff…" Rose stopped herself from going off on a tangent.

"That night, when I got back- nothing happened Mr. Malfoy, stop giving me that look. When I got back, Lily wanted to know why the Slytherins had made me the butt of their joke. I told her why I thought they did. I made her swear never to tell." Rose looked at her watch. It was ten. "You can go now, don't forget to sign and date the paper." Rose reminded Malfoy.

Draco scribbled his name and etched the date onto the parchment then took off.

~_I can't believe my father did that… I guess I can. He's never respected women, not even Mom… That was gross, I wouldn't even do that to Granger. I wonder if he ever got that fixed. It doesn't matter, he's an asshole… I do pick on mudbloods… a lot. I love muggle borns. NO I don't. I'm not as bad as my father… am I? It's all part of being a pureblood though… Sirius was a pureblood… I'm nothing like my father… I won't be either, I hope…_~ Malfoy's thoughts plagued him the entire night. 

Early the next morning, Draco went to see Snape.

"Professor?" Draco called into the office.

"Enter." Snape said tiredly. 

"I need to talk to you Professor Snape." Draco said shyly. 

Snape had seen this look before. "Is it a girl, who?" Snape said, he had misread Malfoy's expression.

"No one, sir! I had questions about the Slytherin house, and I wanted to ask you, since you've been a part of it for most of your life…" Malfoy said beside himself at the presumption his teacher made.

"Alright." Snape said, not knowing what to expect.

"Is it worth it?"

"Is what worth is?" Snape asked, he didn't want to answer an unasked question.

"The mudblood, pureblood stigma, is it worth it."

Snape knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell Malfoy that it was all a bunch a crap, but couldn't, it would seem suspicious. "As a professor, I couldn't express any bias against a student group, but I would say that there are benefits…" Snape said ambiguously. 

"Oh, OK. Thank you sir." Malfoy said as he left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose was thrilled when Friday night came. 

~_Finally, some time to myself._ ~ Rose thought happily as she got out her favorite book, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Rose had read the book about five hundred times, but never tired of it. (A/N: I know it wasn't a good excuse to move Malfoy's detention…)

After half an hour of blissful reading, Rose heard something in her office. She got up to investigate. Rose grabbed her wand, just to be safe, and peeked through the door. It was Severus; he was on all fours under a desk.

"Severus, what are you doing?" Rose asked sharply.

Snape stood up, hitting his head on a desk on the way up. "I came _here_ to talk to _you_..." Snape said in a slurred voice. 

~_ He's drunk, great._ ~ Rose thought tiredly. She didn't feel like assisting an inebriated person right then.

Snape staggered up to Rose. Rose backed up and met the wall. Snape came closer to Rose; she could smell the firewhiskey. Snape put his hands on the wall behind Rose and leaned in intimately.

"I love you, Rose." He slurred. 

"Severus, you're drunk, you'd love anyone right now." Rose said in a forced calm voice. "Besides, I'm married." Severus was undeterred. 

Snape moved in for a kiss, but Rose ducked out of his arms. Rose decided that a strong cup of coffee was needed. She made some using a spell Molly taught her. Rose offered Snape the cup.

"Here, this will help Severus." Rose said kindly. Rose hoped that Snape didn't run into any students on his way there. Snape wandered into Rose's chamber and sat on her couch. Rose followed; she didn't know what Severus would do if left alone.

Rose sat opposite Snape on couch. "Are you alright, Severus?" Rose asked sincerely.

Snape took a long sip of coffee before he answered. "I've never felt like this before..." Severus looked pointedly at Rose causing her insides to squirm.

"Severus-" She didn't know where to begin. 

Snape put a hand up to silence Rose. "I know you don't love me. I've been wondering if things would've been different if Sirius and James hadn't been around. Or if I had acted differently..." Severus confessed meekly.

Rose was conflicted. As Severus' friend, she wanted to console him, but as his archenemy's wife, she was revolted. 

"Severus, you may have feelings for me, but you'll have to be satisfied just being my friend. I need a friend more than anything else." Rose said delicately. 

Snape stood up rigidly. "You're right, I shouldn't have... and... We can be friends?" He asked inwardly pleading for a yes. 

Rose nodded and gave Severus a quick hug. Severus could feel Rose's emergent stomach against his body. As Snape meandered in the hallways, Rose's scent lingered on his clothes. ~_I don't think I'll wash these robes for a while_ ~ Severus thought as he relished the aroma.

Rose went back to her book despite the "that was creepy, weird" feeling that was stuck in her chest.

Rose was overjoyed to see Remus the next day. He too staggered in, but for a different reason.

"Remus, I forgot it was a full moon. How are you feeling?" Rose asked compassionately.

"I'm alright." Remus lied. He was really tired and sore. He didn't want to worry Rose about that though.

"No, you're not. Come and rest." Rose said maternally. She led him over to the couch and let him lay down. Rose gave him a blanket and pillow. Rose pulled up a chair so she could still talk to Remus. 

Rose brushed Remus' hair out of his eyes and adjusted his blanket so he was fully covered. Remus tried to imagine a lifetime of being this close to Rose.

When Rose finally sat down, he put his hand on Rose's stomach. "How are they doing?" Remus asked wearily. 

"They're alright." Rose said contently. Rose took Remus' hand and moved it to the side of her stomach. "That's one of them." Rose told him. She kept her hand on his to make sure he could feel it.

Remus couldn't feel anything but didn't want to tell Rose that. Remus kept his hand there for a while. Rose didn't mind.

"Remus, have you eaten today?" Rose asked eyeing his. He looked rather thin and peaky.

"No, not today." Remus admitted. 

"I'll get you something then." As Rose said this Remus sat upright.

"No, don't. I can wait until lunch." Remus said as his stomach lurched in protest.

"It's alright. Dumbledore assigned me a house elf to help me out and get me food I crave. I pay him extra to just serve me." Rose explained.

"You're _paying_ a house elf?"

"I guess this one likes to get paid." Rose explained shrugging her shoulders. Rose went to the fireplace and knelt down. "Dobby, are you there?" A house elf's head popped into view. 

"I is here."  
  
"Good Morning. Could you bring me two plates of the following: Two eggs over easy, refried beans, bacon, potatoes, and a tortillas please. Oh and two glasses of water, orange juice, and coffee." 

"I brings it when it is ready ma'am." Dobby said before he popped out of view. Rose got up and sat next to Remus.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want something to eat too?" Rose joked running her fingers through Remus' sandy brown hair. He used Rose's lap as a pillow, careful not to lean on her stomach.

"How's your week been?" Remus asked.

"It was odd." Rose disclosed. "School was typical, it's just..." Rose wasn't sure if she should tell Remus what happed the night before. "Severus has been acting abnormally." Rose said indifferently. 

"How so?" Remus asked interestedly. 

"Well, he's been nice for one. We've moved beyond the normal banter, which I don't mind, it's nice to talk to someone. Then last night he came into my office...abitdrunk" Rose said quickly. 

"What? He was drunk and he came to see you?" Remus asked incredulously. 

"Yeah, that wasn't the strange part though. He said that he has feelings for me. He said that he's never felt 'this way' about anyone before. I wasn't sure if he was saying that because he was drunk or if he meant it." Rose felt relieved to tell someone. 

Remus sat up and looked Rose in the eyes. "What did you do?"

"I told him that we could be friends. He agreed and left." Rose stood up and conjured a table and another chair. Then Rose conjured a tablecloth, a candle, and the necessary utensils. 

Remus didn't peruse the subject any further. 

Dobby and two other house elves brought breakfast. "Thank you Dobby." Rose said when he served them. "Who are your friends?" Rose asked amicably. 

"They is Bibby and Surry." Dobby said bowing. 

"Thank you Bibby and Surry." Rose said causing the other two elves to turn red from being thanked for their jobs. 

Rose and Remus enjoyed the meal. Rose's eating habits amused Remus. She only used the fork to break the yolk of the eggs. The rest of the meal, she used the tortillas as her utensil.

When they finished eating Remus said he had to go talk to Dumbledore. Remus left and didn't go straight to the Headmaster's office, he took a detour to the dungeon.   
  
Remus barged into Snape's chamber and lit all the lights with his wand. Severus was still in bed. Remus took all the covers off the bed in one massive movement. 

"Wake up. Wake up you ASS!" Remus shouted kicking the bed.

Severus sat up. "Who is- Oh God, my head." He said massaging his forehead. Then he spotted Remus. "What are _you_ doing here?" Snape hissed.

"What were _you_ doing in Rose's room last night?" Remus spat.

"Oh God, that happened? I thought it was a nightmare. What's it to you?" Severus said maliciously. 

"I happen to care about Rose. I care about her enough to not go to her when I'm drunk and confess my feelings to her when she's already upset!" Remus said vehemently. 

"Wait a minute, _you_ love Rose?" Severus asked skeptically.

"That's not the point. You went and... I don't know what you did. I just know that Rose is upset about it now." Remus said with disgust. 

Snape looked as if he was trying to remember exactly what he did and said, then he remembered.

" I said I love her, I tried to kiss her, and then asked her if things would have been different between us if James and Sirius hadn't hated me. If she didn't hate me before, she does now." Severus said smothering himself with his pillow. Remus had pity on Snape. (A/N: Incase you're wondering, Snape is dressed. It's not like he's Sirius…in the shower… *snaps out of trance and wipes drool from mouth*)

"She doesn't hate you, Severus. She told me that she enjoys talking to you." Remus said, instantly regretting it.

"I bet she told you while you two were cuddling or something like that." Severus said in a Ron Weasley-like jealous voice.

"She did let me feel her stomach. We had breakfast together too." Remus gloated although he knew that Rose saw him as a friend.

After fifteen minutes of 'pulling out the ol' measuring stick', in which Remus and Snape pointed out the other's short comings as a husband or father, Remus dealt the final blow in the verbal battle, which was a fatal blow to both sides.

"It doesn't matter if you could provide a better life for her," Remus started angrily, he and Severus had called one another every name in the book trying to see who would 'get' Rose. "Every time you're together, with her, she won't be thinking about _you_. She'll just _imagine_ you're **Sirius**." Remus said triumphantly.

Then he realized the same would be true if he was with Rose. 

Remus decided he should go. "I need to talk to Dumbledore now. If you can handle it, go apologize for your drunken behavior last night." Remus said as he left.

Snape dressed himself and made his way to Rose's office.

Rose was deep in thought when he knocked at the door and didn't hear him. Snape entered and cleared his throat. Rose jerked her head up from her reading material.

"Hey, Severus. Sorry I didn't hear you, I was thinking." Rose explained quickly, clearing the book from her desk.

Snape pushed the sudden curiosity out of his mind. "I need to apologize for my behavior last night. I was intoxicated, really intoxicated. I'm sorry if I did anything or said anything to upset you." Snape said contritely. 

"It's alright, I understand what drunkenness can do. I meant what I said when I said we could be friends." Rose said consolingly. 

Severus left soon after that. He was so jubilant that he neglected to take points away from Gryffendor. 

Remus went back to Rose's office to tell her some good news.

"I might be able to get a job!" Remus said excitedly.

"Where?" Rose asked excitedly.

"At St. Mungo's. I finished that biology book. I was really interested in the part about genetics and DNA. Based on what I read there, I inferred that when I was bitten by a werewolf, my DNA was altered. If I can figure out how to change it back, I can cure any werewolf." Remus said enthusiastically.

"Wow…" Rose was at a loss for words.

"The best thing is I can come here as often as I want to. I don't have set hours, and I'm getting paid." Remus often did jobs for free or food. "Did Severus come by?" Remus asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, our melanomacally challenged friend stopped by. He apologized for his actions." Rose said smiling at her reference to his skin color.

"Good one, Rose. And…" Remus wanted to hear the details.

"I said I understand how too much liquor can alter a person's choices. I told him that we are still friends." 

The next three weeks went by before Rose's eyes. Harry improved at Occulmency, and he didn't see anymore 'disturbing' memories. Harry was able to get through a weak wall of defense after a few more lessons. Malfoy's detentions went on. Rose didn't jerk him around anymore. Rose spent three weeks on her 5th and 6th years at Hogwarts. Malfoy was constantly at odds with himself about his treatment of muggle borns. 

A/N: I know that ending was crap. I had to end it before I got onto the next thing that will happen… OK I'll tell you. Peter is caught. You won't guess where or what he was doing…

On another note. I will edit this chapter and make it better, when I read it I didn't like some elements of it. I'll amend certain word choices and some grammatical flaws. Before you read the next chapter, reread this one if you want to see the changes. 


	13. The Rat in the Bowler Hat

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

Over the next three weeks Rose's life at Hogwarts settled into a routine.

Rose was delighted as Harry's skill improved. It was slow and at times tedious, but he was getting better. 

Rose postulated that Harry had talked to Hermione about what he saw. Harry had a conversation with Hermione about it after a few weeks of mulling it over.

"Hermione?" Harry asked tentatively when after Ron had gone to bed. 

"Yeah, Harry?" Hermione asked barely looking up from her homework. 

"Hypothetically, if you were married to Ron and he was…let's say sent to Azkaban for a horrendous crime, would you stay faithful to him?"  
  
Hermione thought about it for a minute. "I wouldn't go with the first guy that came my way. I would probably date or marry again someday… Did Rose do something?" Hermione asked.

"NO…well actually yes…" Harry didn't think he had been that obvious.

"Well what was it?" Hermione asked, slightly annoyed with his ambiguity. 

"I guess she got really drunk one night and slept with this guy. She only did it once and stopped drinking hard liquor…" Harry said trying to read Hermione's face for her reaction.

Hermione looked contemplative, then she responded. "Rose was distraught and dealing with her emotions by drinking?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded. "_One_ night she made a mistake and never did it again? In 12 years?" Harry nodded again. "That's understandable." Hermione seemed un-shocked by the whole situation. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose was gratified by the detentions she gave to Malfy. She could tell that he was listening to her and considering some of the things she was saying. Malfoy was disconcerted by the cruel things that the Slytherins would do, it showed on his face. Malfoy's internal conflict raged on and grew as he heard about Rose's 7th year.

(Malfoy's 5th detention with Rose)

"Good evening Mr. Malfoy." Rose said cheerily.

"Evening Professor." Malfoy said as he sat down and began to write.

Rose didn't plunge into her recount of her 7th year right away. Malfoy stopped writing after a few minutes and look up at Rose.

"Er…Professor, Aren't you going to tell me about your 7th year at Hogwart's?" Malfoy asked softly. He didn't like asking her to tell him, but he wanted to know what happened. So far, it had been interesting.

"Sorry, I was thinking…" Rose said snapping her attention back to reality. "That summer, between my 6th and 7th year, my dad said we could stay in London. His job transferred him there temporarily. I would go to see Sirius once and a while, but I spent most of my time with my dad. Sirius understood that summer time was the only time I got to spend with my daddy. 

"One evening, it was close to the 4th of July, my dad and I were at the house watching a show on TV."  
  
"What's TV?" Malfoy asked.

"It's…" Rose had to think about the phrasing, otherwise Malfoy would get a skewed idea about TV. "It is a device Muggles use to watch things called shows. They're like plays that you can view from your home… Or it's like watching people act out a short story on a screen in your Family Room." Rose said searching Malfoy's face for any sign of comprehension. There wasn't one, but that was the best Rose could come up with.

"We were watching a TV show and I heard someone in the kitchen. I got up to investigate. I turned the light on, and there in my kitchen, there were two death eaters. The reason they made noise was one landed on top of the refrigerator, it keeps food cold." Rose explained before Malfoy could aske. Malfoy stopped writing to listen to this part.

"I asked them what they were doing there. One said that they were there to recruit me into Voldemort's league or kill me, whichever I preferred. I told them that they would not do either that night. I asked why Voldemort wanted a mudblood as one of his own. The death eaters said that Voldemort would overlook my bad blood because of my powers. I lost my temper. I hated Voldemort's ideals, his actions, everything. It was an insult to me as a person to be told to join him. The two death eaters were blasted backwards as a result of my temper."   
  
"How? Did you have your wand? That's the third time someone has been 'blasted' backward. What causes it?" Malfoy asked, still not writing.

"I can do wandless magic, especially when I'm mad, sad, or happy. I was furious." Rose explained simply. "I can also affect the weather when I'm lamenting or happy." Rose didn't pause before continuing with her story. "The Death Eaters woke up a few minutes later. I had enough time in the interim to tell my dad that I was OK and to stay in the living room and grab my wand. When they woke up, they didn't remember exactly why there were in my kitchen. I told them that they were on a mission from Voldemort to learn "If you're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands'' and return to him and sing it five times. They left. 

"After that, my dad went back to Washington. I didn't want him to be in harm's way." Rose gave a hollow laugh. "That did a bunch of good." She said bitterly before continuing. "I spent the rest of the summer with James and Sirius. That was the first time I told them that I was from the United States. Soon enough, we went back to Hogwarts for our final year. I wrote my dad telling him that I loved him and would come home to visit him around my birthday.

"On October 27, I got an owl from the United States Ministry of Magic informing me that…" Rose's voice cracked as she struggle through the sentence. "That my daddy was…murdered….by Voldemort. They said that the Dark Mark was looming over our house and the neighbors called the police, the ministry showed up first." Tears were streaming down Rose's face. Rose noticed that a few tears trickled down Malfoy's face too.

"He was defenseless. They said that they performed the crutacious curse, and a number of other torture curses before they killed him… I ran out of the Great Hall and Sirius ran after me. He didn't have to ask what happened, he saw enough of the letter from over my shoulder. We didn't go to classes that day. He stayed with me while I grieved. One student happened upon us. He made a remark that sounded like it was about my daddy. I lost my temper, did a body bind to him, and sent him to the lake. He was stuck, dangling helplessly over the squid until Professor Flitwick saved him. Despite my behavior, I was able to go o the funeral. Sirius went with me. I had a hard time adjusting after his death. I didn't spend much time with my daddy, but he was there. I knew I could travel a short ways and find him there waiting for me." Rose wiped the tears from her face. 

Rose continued for the next hour and a half. Malfoy listened intently, writing the whole time.

Rose had a typical weekend. She spent most of it grading. Remus stayed in London to work on his genetics project. Dumbledore went to London on business. Rose didn't know what type of business until Sunday.

Rose was busy grading when Dumbledore's face appeared in the fireplace.

"Rose, can you come to my office?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sure" Rose said as she stepped into the fireplace. In a matter of seconds she was in the Head's office.

"Please sit down." Dumbledore said, leading Rose to the chair opposite of his.

Rose watched Dumbledore intently. ~_What's this all about?_ ~ Rose wondered as Dumbledore prepared to say something.

"I have news." Dumbledore began slowly.

~_ Oh God, someone died_. ~ Rose thought frantically.

"We've found Peter." Dumbledore finally said.

"That's great! Have you captured him yet?" Rose asked, barely able to contain herself.

"No, it's complicated. He and some other Death Eaters killed Fudge. He's been posing as Fudge for a number of months now."  
  
Rose let out a stream (more like a river) of swear words. "That son of a bitch put me on trial? OH I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Rose yelled as thunder clasped outside.

"Rose, the worst thing you could do right now would be to storm into the Ministry and try to assassinate the Minister of Magic." Dumbledore said, causing Rose to snap back to reality.

"I'm fine… I won't do anything rash. How are you going to capture him?" Rose asked.

"Our undercover person will pose as his Sr. Secretary. That's the most I can say right now." Dumbledore said with a note of finality in his voice.

"Thank you, sir. I'll go back to my office now." Rose said robotically.

Rose got up and left. The walk to her office seemed to take a lifetime. She was angry and happy. Before Rose realized it, she was crying. When Rose stepped into her office, Remus was there waiting for her.

"Dumbledore said you'd need to talk to someone." Remus said. Rose let out a sob and melted into Remus' arms.

"That bastard." Rose cried. "He's been prancing around as Minister… I bet he helped orchestrate Sirius' death…" Rose was starting to hyperventilate.

"Let's sit down here." Remus said, guiding Rose to the couch.

Remus sat down, Rose sat with her legs over Remus' and her head resting on his shoulder. Remus put his arms around Rose and stroked her head lovingly while Rose continued to bear her sorrows to Remus.

"I'm glad that ass will be caught… I just wish it would have happened _before_ Sirius died…" Rose gazed into Remus' blue eyes.

"I know it would have been better if Peter had been caught earlier, but now Sirius' name will be cleared." Remus said consolingly. 

~ _Kiss her Remus… No, don't do that, she's too vulnerable. Kiss her; see how she's looking at you. She wants you to kiss her. This isn't right Remus, she's your best-friend's wife and she's pregnant_. ~ Remus decided not to kiss Rose, even though she was starting to have feeling for Remus.

"You have a gray hair." Remus observed while running his fingers through Rose's curly black hair. "You must be getting old." He said hoping Rose would find that humorous.

Rose laughed dryly. "You know I've always had _one_ gray hair, Mr. Gray in all Places. You haven't have all brown hair since your early twenties." Rose said looking at Remus' sandy brown hair.

"If I remember correctly, you've had gray hair since you were twelve. That's pretty young, and you're not even a werewolf." Remus said. He was relived that he was able to divert Rose's attention away from Peter.

"I've had _one_ and it's not gray, it's silver thank you very much." Rose said in a dignified voice. "I'm sure my boys will have a silver hair too."

"Have you tested to see if they're boys?" Remus asked.

"No, not yet. I could… I'm not sure if I want to though. I really think I'm having boys though." Rose said firmly.

Remus was going to say that she couldn't be certain, but he learned from Lily that it's never a good idea to argue with a pregnant woman.

Rose spent the next week combing through 'The Daily Prophet' looking for some clue that Fudge was exhibiting more strange behavior. There was none. 

Rose was tempted to tell Harry about Peter, but knew Dumbledore wouldn't be happy with her. Rose found it easy to explain her mood swings that she experienced. All she had to do was mention it being a 'pregnancy' thing and whoever was inquiring would stop asking questions. 

Snape kept to his word and started to make snide comments about Rose during his classes. Harry almost ended up in detention when he heard Snape one day.

"_I'll_ be able to teach the entire year, unlike _some_ of the teaching staff… I won't be kept from my job because I don't know how to use contraceptives." Snape said one day after Dumbledore made the announcement that Rose was pregnant (mainly for the students without the sense to put two and two together). 

Most of the Slytherins laughed at his joke, Malfoy didn't though. The Gryffindors looked murderous, Harry more than the rest.

"Maybe she wanted to get pregnant!" Harry refuted, even though he knew that Rose hadn't planned on being pregnant. "Besides, you wouldn't have to worry about using contraceptives correctly because-" 

Harry was going to say "because no one would sleep with you, even _if_ they were under the Imperius Curse." But Hermione gave him a swift kick in the shins that caused him to shut up.

Snape eyed Harry dangerously, then continued on with the lesson.

The following Saturday, Rose felt her baby kick for the first time. Rose was so excited she wrote Remus using the parchment he gave her.

"We need to talk." Rose said pointing her wand at the green paper. Remus' handwriting soon appeared.

"Hi Rose." He wrote. "What's going on?"

"I felt the babies kick! They're really strong." Rose wrote keeping one hand on her stomach.

"WOW! That's great." Remus wrote back. "Are you going to see the gender?"   
  
Rose groaned. ~_ He asks me that every time I talk to him!_ ~ "I'm not. If I do, it will be later. I can't worry about that now." Rose scribbled.

"Well, there's no changing your mind." Remus responded.

"No, there's not. I just wanted to tell you. I'll talk to you later." 

"Bye Rose, take care." Rose smiled as she read the last line Remus wrote. ~_ He's always concerned for me._ ~ Rose thought happily. ~_ I'll go tell Severus now, he'll be excited._ ~

Rose went down to the dungeon and entered Severus' office. Severus looked up and (if possible given his sallow skin) his face lit up when he saw Rose.

"Hi, Rose. How are you doing?" He asked standing up until Rose sat down.

"I'm well. I…" Rose was grinning from ear to ear. "I felt the babies kick today." Rose said energetically. 

A smile formed on Snape's face. "That's amazing!"  
  
"Do you want to feel?" Rose asked beckoning Snape over to her.

"Oh…alright." Severus said. He blushed a new shade of red at the idea.

Snape sat down next to Rose. "Give me your hand." Rose said putting her feet on Snape's desk so her stomach would be the largest it could be. Rose placed Snape's hand where the babies last kicked.

"OK, wait for it." Rose said, keeping her hand on Severus' so he would keep the proper pressure on her stomach to feel the kick. Rose could feel the kick through Snape's hand. "Did you feel that, Severus?"

Snape nodded. "That is the first time I've ever felt a baby… it's amazing." He said keeping his hand on Rose's stomach.

"How have you been? Dumbledore told me about Peter, I thought you would take it hard." Snape asked gazing at Rose unflinchingly.

"I've… I've been handling it." Rose said shakily. "On one hand I'm glad that he'll be caught. That way Sirius' name will be cleared and my kids and I won't have that follow us around. One the other hand, I wonder if Peter had been caught earlier, or never escaped from Remus and Sirius, then Sirius would still be alive, Voldemort wouldn't be back…" Rose's voice trailed off.

Snape felt a stab of guilt for his unwilling involvement in Peter's escape. "I… I don't know how that would have changed everything. Everyone goes through the 'what ifs' when things go bad. I always wonder what if I hadn't bought into the Dark Lord's lies, or what if I had treated people differently. We all make choices and those choices govern our life." Severus said, hoping to comfort Rose.

Rose agreed with Snape. It was useless to mull over things that she couldn't change and would ultimately cause her pain.

Another week passed by and Malfoy served his final detention.

Draco came in started writing. Since Rose finished her time at Hogwarts, she started to talk about the people she'd lost to Voldemort. She started with her parents (her mom was killed also, but she wasn't close to her mom at all.), then she talked about the Potters, then the Longbottoms, she finished with Sirius. Rose didn't tell Malfoy that she knew Peter was a Death Eater or that she knew where he was now. She did express every bit of hatred she felt for him.

When Rose dismissed Malfoy from detention, he turned around when he was at the door and asked Rose a question.

"Professor, why did you tell me all that?"   
  
"Sit down Mr. Malfoy." Rose told him. Malfoy sat back down. "I told you that to hopefully persaude you to think about you behavior towards muggle borns. I realize that most prejudices are formed when one's parents hold a prejudice. I know that your parents are anti-muggle borns so the chances are that is all you've ever been exposed to. I theorized that revealing the other side of picture to you would help you form your own opinions about things instead of harboring your parent's." Rose explained to Draco.

"Oh… Thank you." He whispered. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure."  
  
"If I ever… er… need help… with something that happens at home… like…er" Draco was struggling for the words.

"Anything that you don't want to participate in, but may be forced into?" Rose offered.

"Yeah, something like that. Could I talk to you and… not let any other teachers know?" Malfoy asked.

Rose's forehead crunched together. "If you came to me with a problem, I would keep confidentiality. I want you to know that _any_ Professor here can be trusted, even those with reputations that may suggest otherwise." Rose said. She realized that Malfoy may not want to talk to Snape about Lucius' activities. As far as Malfoy knew, Snape and his father were chummy. 

"Thank you ma'am. This is my last detention? What about next week?" Malfoy asked.

"I realize next Friday would technically be the completion of the two months, but neither of us wants to skip the Halloween Feast. I think you've learned your lesson." Rose said smiling.

"Good Night." Malfoy said leaving for the Slytherin Common room.

That's All For Now. Next time: Halloween. Rose decides whether she determines the gender of the babies. Peter is finally caught (I know that I said it would be this time, but I had to change it.). A big Thank you to my reviewers! An evil glare to the rest of you… you know who you are FEEL THE GUILT. I'll update asap.


	14. El Dia de Los Muertos

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

This chapter will be written from the POV of different characters. I'll indicate whose when it's pertinent. I won't be writing in 1st person (because it annoys the hell out of me) the section will be how the particular person experienced this chapter's events.

****

Warning: this chapter contains far more swearing than any other chapter. I just thought I'd warn those with virgin eyes.

On Wednesday, Rose asked Dobby for help with something only a house elf would know.

"Dobby, I need to cook something on Saturday." Rose said ambiguously. 

"I is able to cook it for you in the kitchens." Dobby squeaked.

"No thank you. I need to cook it myself; it's for a holiday. Is there another kitchen I can use?"

"You is not wanting to use the big kitchen?" Rose shook her head. "There is a room that is the Room of Requirement. It turns into anything you is needing." Dobby went into his explanation of the room.

"That's perfect! I could even go there on Friday evening and start some of it." Rose murmured to herself. 

"What holiday is you cooking for?" Dobby asked.

"El Dia de Los Muertes. The Day of The Dead." Rose explained. "It's where people remember loved ones that have died. One way to remember them is to cook their favorite dishes."

"And you is wanting to remember your family?"

"Exactly."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Rose's POV)

Rose didn't tell anyone what she was doing. She considered it a private matter. Rose stole away to the Room of Requirement early Saturday morning. Dobby offered to help her cook, but Rose gave him another job.

"I want you to set up a table like my drawing here." Rose said indicating a set of instructions she had drawn up the night before.  
  
"I is doing it." Dobby said starting his work.

By eight in the morning, Rose was almost finished with the cooking. Rose was lost in thought.

"The thing I miss the most about Sirius…" Rose said to herself. "Is how he would always come behind me, slip his arms around my waist, and start kissing me. He would start at the nape of my neck and work his way up…" Rose sighed longingly. 

Rose continued to cook. ~ _I would give anything to be his strong arms again…_~  
  
Right then, someone put their arms around Rose's waist. Rose's heart started to race. 

~_It's Sirius! Maybe on el dia de los muertes widows can be with their husbands._~ Rose thought dreamily. The person behind her kissed her at the base of her neck and slowly kissed his way up. Rose closed her eyes and a tear trickled down her face.

~_ It's him, only Sirius knew to kiss me there…_~

Rose kept her eyes closed, hoping that she could make this last. Rose slowly turned around with her eyes closed lightly.

"I can't believe it's you S-" Rose opened her eyes. "SEVERUS!" Rose wiped the tear from her cheek. "I need to sit down" Rose said hyperventilating slightly. A chair appeared and she sat. Rose sat doubled over with her face buried in her hands. 

Severus was standing ashamedly in the middle of the room. 

"What were you doing?" Rose snapped angrily. ~_ I feel sick… I can't believe I thought he was Sirius. _~

"I went to you office to see you, and your house elf told me you were here…"

"WHY did you do that? I thought you were Sirius!" Rose yelled. ~ _He kissed me, and I liked it! I did think it was Sirius. It doesn't matter how I justify it, it was too bizarre for me. _~ (A/N: Go ahead, do the Eww-yuck dance. The story will still be here when you're done)

"I…I'm…" Snape tried to apologize, but Rose wouldn't let him finish.

Rose stood up, she swayed a bit, but walked determinedly over to the counter and collected the food she had cooked. ~_Walk in a straight line, that's it. You can do it._ ~

Rose left Snape in the Room of Requirement. ~_ I'll go back to my room, set the food up, take a shower, and everything will be OK_ ~ Rose told herself. 

Rose walked into her chambers backwards, she was carrying an armful of plates. ~_OK, the No-Bake cookies are for Mom… The Chicken and Dumplings are for Lily and James… The Churrizo is for you Daddy… so are the tacos, burritos, and the quesadilla… For you, Sirius, there's a plate of your favorite desserts, a serving of orange chicken with rice and cabbage (eww cabbage). Only for you. _~ Rose put each plate (or plates) of food in front the corresponding picture. 

Rose stood back to examine the table, "Candles…" Rose reminded herself. She retrieved her large candles from her trunks and placed them around the table. She lit them using her wand.

~_Now, it's shower time. I really need one. I smell like every food I cooked and I want to wash away what happened…_~ Rose felt dizzy again. ~_Stop doing that Rose. It was Severus. I can't believe that man… _~ Rose stepped into the shower.

Thirty-five minutes later, Rose emerged from her bathroom. ~_Now that's better…Nice and- what the HELL?_~ Rose stopped dead in her tracks. Unless if Rose was seeing things, Sirius was feasting on the food she laid out.

Rose brandished her wand. ~_This cannot be him. He's dead. Whoever it is, is impersonating him._~ Rose told herself.

"I don't know who you are, or why you look like Sirius, but I warn you, put down the plate and back away from the table." Rose said in her most dangerous voice. Rose stepped backward, she was feeling dizzy.

Sirius put the plate down and tried to explain himself. "Rose, don't act rash. It's me-" Sirius stepped towards Rose. Her arm, while fully extended, was shaking slightly.

~_He's lying. Sirius is dead. It's a lie Rose. Don't be foolish._~ Rose was going to respond, but the room around her turned black and everything faded out of view…

Rose woke up a while later. Once she stirred, Severus came to her side.

"Rose?" He asked with a note of urgency in his voice.

"Severus… I don't know what happened. I came out of the bathroom and… Sirius was here and" Rose sat up looked around the room. The plate was eaten from. Rose stared at Severus. "Did that really happen?" Rose asked thickly.

~ _This is some sick dream I'm having. _~ Rose told herself.

Severus nodded sadly. ~_Oh God, it's true_. ~

"Where is he, where has he been? WHY DID HE LET ME, HARRY, THE WHOLE WORLD BELIEVE HE WAS DEAD?" Rose yelled to no prevail.

"I don't know… I just know that it is Sirius. He's waiting outside. He didn't want to scare you once you woke up, so he asked me to stay in here with you." Severus said.

The door creaked open and Sirius came in. Severus stood up awkwardly and backed towards the door. Sirius walked past him and sat down next to his wife.

"Rose, let me explain." He said taking Rose's hand. Severus excused himself from the room then. 

Rose ripped her hand from Sirius'. "What? What's your reason for faking your death, leaving your wife heartbroken, causing your godson insurmountable pain and guilt, and leaving your wife with two children to raise on her own? Tell me."

Rose stood up and walked to the door. "No, don't bother. I can't hear this right now." With that, Rose walked out.

~ _Doesn't dead mean not coming back? EVER?! Why would he put Harry and me through that? He even knew I was pregnant and didn't bother telling me he wasn't really dead. MEN! I hate them._~ Rose was starting to feel dizzy again. Rose didn't realize it, but she was close to the Entrance Hall.

~_ Did he tell anyone he wasn't dead? I bet someone knew. I hate him… I really do. That's a lie, I've never been this goddam angry before though._~ Rose stopped on the bottom step to the Entrance Hall for a moment. For the second time that day, the room around Rose faded away.

Rose didn't wake up again for a few hours. When she did, she was in the Hospital Wing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Snape's POV)

~_ I should go see Rose. It's kind of early, but I think she'll be up._ ~ Severus walked to Rose's chamber and found a house elf there, admiring his work.

"Hello sir. Is you needing help?" The elf squeaked.

"Where is Professor Black?" Snape asked the tiny creature.

"She is…" Dobby wasn't sure if he should say.

"Out with it! I am a Professor at this school and therefore one of your masters." Snape said coldly.

"She is in the Room of Requirement." Dobby gave in.

"Is she ill?" Severus asked with a worried expression growing on his face.

"No sir. She is cooking." Dobby said simply. He didn't know why.

Snape left without another word to the elf. ~_ Why is she cooking? Doesn't she know that the house elves are for that? She is a muggle born… maybe she isn't use to it._~ Snape postulated. 

Severus stood outside of the Room of Requirement debating whether to go in. ~_ Go in, she won't mind. If she does, leave. That makes sense. I'll go in._~ Snape silently opened the door. Rose was talking to herself.

"The thing I miss the most about Sirius…" Rose was saying when Severus came in. "Is how he would always come behind me, slip his arms around my waist, and start kissing me. He would start at the nape of my neck and work his way up…"

Severus didn't hesitate. He slipped his arms around Rose and started to kiss her. He started near her shoulders and slowly moved towards her ear. ~_ She hasn't pulled away. She must be enjoying this as much as I am. This is wrong, no it's not. We're both adult and we're both enjoying ourselves…_~

"I can't believe it's you S-" Rose opened her eyes. "SEVERUS!" Rose wiped the tear from her cheek. "I need to sit down" Rose said hyperventilating slightly. A chair appeared and she sat. Rose sat doubled over with her face buried in her hands. 

Severus was standing ashamedly in the middle of the room. ~_Oh God, what did I do? Should I help her, or would she get more upset. Think Severus. THINK!_~ Before Severus could say anything, Rose started to talk.

"What were you doing?" Rose snapped angrily. 

"I went to you office to see you, and your house elf told me you were here…" ~_Tell her that you love her, Severus. SAY IT!_~ Snape's tongue failed him.

"WHY did you do that? I thought you were Sirius!" Rose yelled. 

"I…I'm…" Snape tried to express his feelings, but Rose didn't give him the chance.

Rose left before Snape could formulate a sentence. ~_God… You can't do anything right. I can't believe you._~

Snape slunk back to his dungeon. He tried to start on his massive stack of papers that needed to grade, but Rose kept popping into his head. After almost half an hour of unsuccessful grading, Snape decided to see if Rose was alright.

~_She didn't look too well when she left. I should go and see if she's alright… and apologize. _~ Severus went into Rose's office. ~_She must be in her chamber… Proceed with caution._~ Severus opened the door. The sight he met caused him to draw his wand.

"Who are you?" He asked to the person, who had the physical attributes of Sirius Black, and was carrying Rose.

"Snape, will you help me? She's fainted. _Please_." Sirius said, straining himself by holding his wife.

Severus performed a simple locomotor charm on Rose, moving her swiftly to the bed. Then, he put focused his wand on Sirius. 

"Who are you?" Severus asked again. 

"It's me Snivellus. I'm the one that _should_ be asking questions. What are you doing in my wife's room is the first one that comes to mind." Sirius said eyeing his archenemy dangerously. ~_Sure, anyone can call me that. It's not exactly original._~ Snape thought skeptically. 

"I came to see if Rose was alright, she wasn't feeling well this morning." Severus said defensively. "Where have you been for the past five months?" Severus shot at Sirius. ~_Answer me that… Rose is going to be distraught._~ Snape thought sympathetically. 

"Never mind that right now. She'll be up in a few minutes. Does she trust you enough to believe you if you tell her I'm really alive. I would stay here, but I'm afraid she'll pass out again." Sirius said quickly.

"I'll stay here and talk to Rose when she wakes up." Snape said stiffly. ~_It's not for you, you bastard. I'm doing this for her._~ Snape thought as Sirius left the room.

Snape paced the room, not taking his eyes from Rose. She stirred after what seemed like an eternity. Snape went to her side instantly. 

"Severus… I don't know what happened. I came out of the bathroom and… Sirius was here and" Rose sat up looked around the room. The plate was eaten from. Rose stared at Severus. "Did that really happen?" Rose asked thickly.

~_Why? Why do I have to be the one to tell her? She'll hate me for the rest of her life._~ Severus thought as he nodded sadly.

Rose started in on her rant."Where is he, where has he been? WHY DID HE LET ME, HARRY, THE WHOLE WORLD BELIEVE HE WAS DEAD?" 

"I don't know… I just know that it is Sirius. He's waiting outside. He didn't want to scare you once you woke up, so he asked me to stay in here with you." ~_I should have told her how I feel…_~

The door creaked open and Sirius came in. ~_No, that just would have complicated things for her._~ Severus thought somberly. Severus stood up awkwardly and backed towards the door. Sirius walked past him and sat down next to his wife.

~_Go and try to make it better you ass. You don't deserve her._~ Snape thought as Sirius started to grovel. ~_I should go. I don't want to hear Rose take Sirius back. I need to talk to Dumbledore._~ Snape told himself. He headed straight for the headmaster's office.

"Sir? I need to talk to you right away." Severus said, barging into Dumbledore's office without knocking.

Dumbledore was talking with Percy Weasley via Floo Powder. Apparently, Percy was frantic.

"And the Minister, being impersonated the whole time?" Percy squeaked.

"I'm afraid so." Dumbledore said somberly. "Peter Pettigrew was perpetuated by Voldemort, he did not do this alone. I hope that you have the wisdom to pardon Sirius Black. He not only exposed a fraud and a Voldemort supporter, he never committed the crimes he was incarcerated for."  
  
~_Dumbledore knows. Rose won't be happy…_~ Severus thought sensitively.

Percy was agreeing to everything that Dumbledore was saying. "I will sir, right away sir… without a doubt." Percy would say in-between sentences.

When Dumbledore finished talking to Percy, he turned his attention to Snape.

"Severus, what brings you here?" Dumbledore asked, although he had a shrewd idea why Snape was there.

"It's Black, sir. He's here and I'm assuming that you knew that." Severus said realizing how insignificant his words were. 

Dumbledore looked slightly peeved at that bit of news. ~_Maybe he didn't know that Black came here._~ Snape thought fancifully.

"I did know that he was alive. It was part of a plan that we had worked out. I told him that he was to come here and let me tell Rose what we did and why. I'm guessing that Rose was quite upset." Dumbledore said cutting straight to the fat of the conversation.

"Yes, she was. She fainted when she saw him." Severus said in a tattle-tell voice. Dumbledore was looking less and less pleased with every word Severus said. ~_Good, I'm getting Black in trouble._~

Without any warning Madame Pomfrey's head popped into the fireplace. "Headmaster, Professor Black is in the hospital wing. She's passed out and doesn't look well." She said frantically. ~_Oh shit, she looks worried. What did that bastard do to her?_~ Snape thought angrily.

"We'll be right there." Dumbledore said standing up and striding to the door. Snape followed him closely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Sirius' POV)

~_Back at Hogwarts. I've missed it so… not as much as I've missed Rose. I should go to Dumbledore and tell him I exposed Peter and that Percy is the acting Minister, that can wait. I have to see my wife._~ Sirius thought as he took the path to the Defense Against the Dark Art's classroom.

Sirius made his way to the Chamber behind the office. ~_She's in the shower…. What is all this food doing here?_~ Sirius wondered. ~_I guess it's good to eat._~

Sirius picked up the plate closest to his picture. ~_Wow! My favorite food. It taste good. I wonder why she has this here. It must be a pregnant thing._~

Sirius didn't hear the bathroom door open. He did hear Rose's mavalent voice cut the silence like a dagger. "I don't know who you are, or why you look like Sirius, but I warn you, put down the plate and back away from the table."

~_She doesn't sound quite as happy as I imagined she would…_~ Sirius thought as he carefully put the plate back on the table. Sirius turned to face Rose, she swayed slightly. ~_WOW. She is pregnant…_~

"Rose, don't act rash. It's me-" Sirius said stepping towards Rose. 

Without any warning, Rose fell to the ground. Sirius kneeled at Rose's side.

~_Oh God, what did I do?_~ Sirius thought frantically. Sirius picked Rose up. ~_She's heavy. You should've known that… crap, my wand is in my pocket I can't reach it…_~

Sirius turned around when he heard the door slam. For the second time in a matter of minutes, he was at the mercy of an angry, confused person with a wand. This time, it was Snape.

"Who are you?" Snape asked, his face full of malice. 

"Snape, will you help me? She's fainted. _Please_." Sirius pleaded. ~_I don't know what he's doing here, but if he doesn't help me I'm going to kill him._~

Severus performed a simple locomotor charm on Rose, moving her swiftly to the bed. Then, he put focused his wand on Sirius. ~_Like that's going to solve anything you idiot._~

"Who are you?" Severus asked again. 

"It's me Snivellus. I'm the one that _should_ be asking questions. What are you doing in my wife's room is the first one that comes to mind." ~_Since when has Rose been friends with Snape. Last time they were in the same room together, she gave him a bloody nose. That was quite a few months ago… Has that much changed…_~ 

"I came to see if Rose was alright, she wasn't feeling well this morning." Severus said defensively. "Where have you been for the past five months?" ~_He's defending himself…What the hell did he do?!?!_~ Sirius thought frantically.

"Never mind that right now. She'll be up in a few minutes. Does she trust you enough to believe you if you tell her I'm really alive. I would stay here, but I'm afraid she'll pass out again." Sirius realizing that Rose would wake up soon.

"I'll stay here and talk to Rose when she wakes up." Snape said stiffly.

Sirius left the room. ~_What kind of world is this were my own wife can't bear seeing me and I have to leave Snape to talk to her so she won't pass out? What have I done?_~ Sirius stood close to the door, he wanted to hear the moment Rose woke up.

It wasn't long before Sirius could hear Rose's voice

"Where is he, where has he been? WHY DID HE LET ME, HARRY, THE WHOLE WORLD BELIEVE HE WAS DEAD?" 

"I don't know… I just know that it is Sirius. He's waiting outside. He didn't want to scare you once you woke up, so he asked me to stay in here with you." 

Sirius cautiously opened the door. ~_What the hell? Rose is letting Snape sit on her bed? I haven't missed that much have I?_~ Sirius took Severus' seat next to Rose.

"Rose, let me explain." Sirius said pleadingly, taking Rose's small hand. Severus left the room then. ~_You better leave._~ 

Rose ripped her hand from Sirius'. "What? What's your reason for faking your death, leaving your wife heartbroken, causing your godson insurmountable pain and guilt, and leaving your wife with two children to raise on her own? Tell me."

Sirius opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to find the vindicating words; none came out.

~_I should have gone to Dumbledore and let him explain this. I can, I just need a minute where she isn't yelling at me… Our children will be about 15 when that happens._~

Rose stood up and walked to the door. "No, don't bother. I can't hear this right now." With that, Rose walked out.

Sirius stood up to follow Rose, but he stopped himself. ~_She's angry with you. She doesn't want to talk to you right now. Besides, you don't want to see Harry yet. Dumbledore can tell him about this._~ Sirius decided.

Sirius stayed in Rose's chamber scolding himself for his stupidity when Dumbledore came in, followed by Snape.

"I don't have time right now to reprimand you for how you've handled this because Rose is in the hospital wing." Dumbledore said in a grave tone.

If Sirius' eyes weren't connected to his head by several ligaments, they would have fallen out right then.

~_Sirius, what did you do?_~ Sirius followed Dumbledore, a tear shining on his cheek.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Remus' POV)

Remus climbed out of the Knight Bus outside of Hogwart's gates. ~_It looks like the weather can't chose whether to storm, or be sunny._~ Remus noticed looking at the ominous clouds with sporadic rays of sunlight penetrating the clouds. 

~_No matter. Today, I'm going to propose to Rose… hey that rhymes. It's been five months. I think I could help her raise her children. I love her. I could provide for her. It would workout._~ Remus thought happily.

Remus stood outside of the massive oak doors for a moment. He tried to shake the jitters that he had just experienced. Taking in a deep breathe, Remus opened the door.

~_What is that?_~ Remus squinted to see better. ~_Oh my God, It's Rose._~ Remus ran over to the crumpled up version of his love.

Remus turned Rose over so she was facing up. ~_She's not bleeding. She's defiantly breathing. What happened?_~ Remus muttered the locomotor charm that he used on Snape three years ago. This time, he was far more careful. Remus guided Rose with his wand and kept his hand on her back, incase she woke up.

Remus went straight to the Hospital Wing. 

Madame Pomfrey swarmed Rose once they entered the wing.

"What happened?" she screeched. 

"I don't know. I found her in the Entrance Hall…" Remus said helplessly. ~_When I find who did this to her…_~ Remus didn't know what he would do, but he hoped it happened on a full moon. 

Madame Pomfrey went to the fireplace. "Headmaster!" She called. "Headmaster, Professor Black is in the hospital wing. She's passed out and doesn't look well." 

~_If Madame Pomfrey doesn't think this looks well…_~ Remus stopped himself from going down that avenue of thought.

"We'll be right there." Dumbledore said disappearing from sight. 

~_Where's he going? He should come straight here._~ 

Madame Pomfrey settled Rose into a bed. She was talking to herself trying to assess the situation. 

After a few minutes of strained silence Madame Pomfrey spoke again. "She doen't appear to be in any mortal danger… Right now, we need to keep her comfortable. You may stay with her incase she wakes up." Madame Pomfrey said while she looked through her monstrous Healer Book.

Remus sat on the bed next to Rose. He held her hand tenderly. ~_Please be alright, Rose. What happened to you? I should have been there earlier._~ Remus stayed by Rose's side until the door opened and Dumbledore walked in.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Normal POV (I really don't know whose it is. I always switch)

Remus looked at the group that just entered the Hospital Wing. ~_Sirius? He's with Dumbledore… what's going on?_~ Remus wondered.

Sirius was thinking along the same lines. ~_ Remus? What's he doing here….with Rose. Was he holding her hand?_~ 

"What- what are you doing here?" Remus asked, finally overcoming the shock of seeing his dead friend. Then he understood. The weather, finding Rose passed out, it was all because of Sirius.

Sirius ignored his friend's question. He walked right by Remus and sat at his wife's bedside. 

"What are you doing? YOU DID THIS TO HER!" Remus shouted throwing Sirius onto an empty bed. Everyone in the room was shocked at Remus' rare outburst of anger. Sirius looked the most bewildered. 

Sirius glanced from Rose to Remus. ~_Are they…._~ Sirius' thoughts were interrupted by Dumbledore. 

"I believe an explanation is needed here." He said profoundly. Severus, Sirius, and Remus gave Dumbledore the infamous "No-shit-Sherlock" look, though none of them expressed their thoughts..

"Shouldn't we wait until Rose is awake. She needs to know more than they do." Sirius said, he didn't want to get out of his hot water status and move right into guillotine status.

"That would be prudent." Dumbledore said conjuring enough chairs for the 5 of them. 

Madame Pomfrey came in from her office. "I've checked and double checked and I can give her this potion to wake her up." Madame Pomfrey said lifting Rose's head up.

"Here let me help." Remus said. He got up and positioned Rose to take the potion. Madame Pomfrey opened Rose's mouth slightly and allowed some of the potion to trickle into Rose's mouth.

Rose opened her eyes right away. She looked around and realized where she was and who was with her. ~_OK…I'm in the Hospital Wing… with Remus…Snape…Dumbledore and Sirius? OH that wasn't a dream_~ 

"Rose, let me explain what has happened." Dumbledore said before Rose could start yelling again. Remus helped Rose into one of the chairs that Dumbledore had conjured.

"Nine months ago, I approached Sirius about a chance to capture Peter and therefore clearing his name and living as a free man. I knew that Voldemort was aware that he's an animagi so I couldn't just send him out while in dog form. He had to be totally wiped from the realm of possibilities. I was going to have him die in one of the contraptions that are in Grimmauld Place, many of the wardrobes there are bottomless pits… I was going to have a number of people witness his death, enough to make the news and establish that he was dead. After enough people saw, I was going to use a time turner, make myself invisible, and save him by making him invisible right as he would have fallen into a wardrobe. 

"As you all know, it did not work out like that. When Sirius fell through the Veil I wasn't sure if I could to the same thing I had planned. I was sucessful in saving him though. I did not intend for Harry to bear the guilt of his godfather's death though." Dumbledore looked as if he was still kicking himself over that.

"Once Sirius was 'dead' I told him to stay at Grimmauld Place in the form of a rat and not to transform under _any_ circumstance. From what I've heard, he did, but apparently Rose just thought she was delusional. Again, that was another outcome I did not intend on happening. When Sirius found out that Rose was pregnant, Sirius wanted to transform and return to his old life. I told him that if he did, all would be lost. I surmised that Voldemort didn't believe that Sirius had died. I thought that that Voldemort was using Fudge, I didn't realize to what extent. I figured that Rose's trial was just a way to see if Sirius was really dead. Voldemort must have assumed that Sirius would wreck his cover to save his wife, which he almost did. When Rose was tried before the Wizengomit, Sirius almost transformed back to save her. I assured him that Rose would not go to Azkaban

At that time, I was starting to think that Peter had slipped through our fingers and I had caused so much pain to no prevail.

"When Rose said that Fudge was acting odd at the hearing I decided to send Sirius to investigate. It took him the better part of a month to actually witness Fudge transform into Peter. After that, Sirius had to bide his time. We both knew that if we did this wrong, Peter would escape. 

"I had Sirius capture Fudge's Sr. Secretary, a Death Eater. Sirius posed as him using Polyjuice Potion. Peter didn't suspect anything. Capturing Peter was easy enough. Sirius made him transform in front of Madame Bones. Sirius had been talking to Madame Bones about Fudge's strange behavior for sometime at that point. She was growing suspicious of him. Her wildest speculations about his odd behavior were only half as strange as the truth. When Peter transformed into himself, she took his wand and called in all the Department Heads. She gave him Veritasium and he told them all the truth. The Ministry was shaken to its core. Sirius stole away during all of this and came here." 

"So, that last part, happened today?" Rose asked. Everyone would have heard about that.

"Yes, I did that today." Sirius said, speaking to Rose for the first time since she woke up.

"Does the Ministry know you're alive, Sirius?" Remus asked.

"Madame Bones does. She and all the Department Heads… I guess a lot of them know now." Sirius said.

"Do they know how you cheated death and lied to world about it?" Rose asked flaring her nostrils in-between words. 

"I told Percy Weasley." Dumbledore said. "I was finishing when Severus came in." 

"Now we have to explain all this to Harry…" Rose said sadly. She could deal with the pain she felt, but Harry had harbored guilt and frustration about Sirius' death and relinquishing it would be difficult. 

The end of the chapter. Review it please. This is what all the other chapters have been leading up to.


	15. Hypathetical Situations

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

Rose sat in her office debating on how to tell Harry that his godfather wasn't dead. Rose didn't speak to Sirius much after they left the Hospital Wing. She was still too angry. 

"I know how I'll tell him." Rose said after an eternity of silence. Sirius looked up. Rose explained her plan of action.

"That sounds like it'll work." Sirius said. 

"I'm doing this for Harry, I hope you know. I want him to find out before it's all over the papers tomorrow. You don't know how much you hurt him, do you? He blames himself for your death." Rose hissed.

"I told you, _Dumbledore_ told you, we didn't plan for it to happen like that. Would you rather that I had died? That way you could movie on to someone else?" Sirius said scathingly.

"Of course I don't want you to be dead. I fought hard against believing it. You can ask Remus about that. I would liked to have known that my husband wasn't really dead. That's all." Rose said, trying to control her anger.

"Trust me, I will. I'm very curios to see how my best friend came to my wife's side and what he did there." Rose couldn't believe what he was insinuating.

"Are you accusing me of- and Remus?" Rose gasped.

"I'm sorry, was it Snape?" Sirius shot at her.

"**I cannot believe you Sirius Black! **I was distraught. I needed to talk to someone. You wrote me in that letter and TOLD me to start depending on people more than I usually do. That's what I did." Rose refuted.

"I had Molly in mind when I wrote that. Not you hooking up with my ex-best friend!" Sirius was sounding more juvenile with each sentence.

"I don't want to talk about this now! We need to focus on Harry. You can wait on the couch in my room until I'm ready for you." Rose said in a commanding voice. Sirius retreated to Rose's room while Rose summoned Dobby.

Rose drafted a note to Harry and had finished when Dobby arrived.

"Dobby, could you deliver this to Harry and make sure he comes straight here after reading it?" Rose asked.

"I is more than happy to ma'am. I is wanting to see Harry Potter!" Dobby said happily. He took the letter and set off.

Dobby found Harry and the Quidditch team on the Quidditch field. Harry spotted Dobby and flew down to see who it was (he couldn't tell from 50+ feet in the air.)

"Dobby, what are you doing here?" Harry asked tentatively. 

"I is here to give you this. Professor Black is wanting to talk to you." Dobby squeaked.

Harry took the letter and opened it.

__

Harry:

I need to talk to you right away. Please come now, don't wait until later, this is urgent. I will explain when you get here.

- Rose

Harry looked up from the letter. ~_If this were a school-related matter, she would sign 'Professor Black'. I wonder if she's alright…_~ Harry flew into the air and blew his whistle.

"Practice is over…good job… and er I'll tell you when the next one is." Harry told the confused team.

Harry dismounted his broom and started to follow Dobby. Ron caught up with.

"Harry…why…are…you…leaving…what ….happened?" Ron was out of breath from running that far. 

"Rose sent me a note. It sounds urgent. I need to go see her. I'll tell you what happens when I get back to the Common Room." Harry promised as he stole into the castle. 

When Harry entered Rose's office, she was waiting for him.

"Rose, what's going on? Are you alright?" Harry said eyeing her. ~_She looks alright…_~

"Yes Harry. I'm well. Please sit down. I need to talk to you." Harry sat down next to Rose. 

Rose sighed before she began. "I need to talk to you something, but I need you to be patient and ask any questions you have at the end, OK?" Harry nodded. "Hypothetically, what if Sirius and Dumbledore came up with a brilliant plan to clear Sirius' name? Sirius could start living as a free man and he would be able to adopt you. I would be able to move back to London and live with my husband. This theoretical plan would have to involve Sirius catching Peter and proving that Peter killed all those people." As Rose talked Harry's mind went crazy.

~_Is this why she brought me here, to tell me how Sirius could have gotten off? Judging by the look on her face, this is painful for her to talk about…_~

"One drawback would be that Voldemort knows that Sirius is an animagi. All Death Eaters know to be weary of large black dogs. The only way Sirius could spy on Peter (or any other Death Eater) would be if they all thought he was dead."

Harry was starting to worry about Rose. ~_Is she going mad? Why is she telling me this? Why is she hurting herself by thinking about all this…_~ Harry didn't voice his concerns at his godmother's request.

"In order to fake his death, Sirius would have to die in front of enough Ministry members to make the people believe he was dead. Let's say he were to be cornered by Kingsley and Tonks and happen to fall into a bottomless wardrobe and therefore die. Dumbledore would be present, along with Fudge and a few other people, just to be safe. Dumbledore would use a Time Turner to save Sirius. He would make himself invisible and catch Sirius before he fell, turning Sirius invisible too. It would look like Sirius fell into the wardrobe and died. 

"If their plan went wrong, let's say that Sirius fell through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries instead of a non-causal death, he would have died at someone's doing, Bellatrix. Despite of this fluke in a would be flawless plan, Dumbledore was able to save Sirius. Then Sirius would be able to spy for Dumbledore and eventually catch Peter." Rose waited for a response from Harry.

"That would be great, but it didn't happen. Sirius is dead, Rose." Harry said concernedly. ~_Please don't drag yourself through this Rose._~

"Harry, that is what happened. Sirius didn't die. Dumbledore saved him. He lived at Grimmauld Place as a rat until Dumbledore had him follow Fudge. Sirius found out that Peter was posing as Fudge. Sirius exposed Peter for what he is today and was exonerated." Rose could see the tears forming in Harry's eyes along with the anger behind them.

Harry was waiting for Rose to burst into insane laughter and a group of healers to come take her to St Mungos so she could reside with the Longbottoms, but no one came. Rose didn't show the slightest bit of jesting or insanity. Harry realized that she was telling the truth and was outraged.

****

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER? I'VE THOUGHT THAT HIS DEATH WAS MY FAULT FOR THE PAST FIVE MONTHS!" Harry yelled at his godmother.

"Harry, I didn't know until this morning. I almost cursed Sirius when I saw him. I thought he was a Death Eater or someone with a sick sense of humor." Rose said quickly.

****

"WHY DIDN'T DUMBLEDORE TELL US?" 

"He didn't want us to be used as bait to use against Sirius. It wouldn't have added up if Sirius' wife and godson were happy as bees after his death!!! Someone would have caught on." Rose explained.

"Where is he?" Harry asked. Harry felt conflicted. He was glad that his godfather was alive, but he'd been _'dead'_ for five months.

"I'm right here." Sirius said gruffly, emerging from Rose's room. Harry ran to Sirius and hugged him, forgetting his usual non-emotional behavior around his godfather. 

Harry quickly pulled out of the hug and wiped his face. "Why didn't you tell us? After a month or so no one would have suspected…" Harry stopped talking so he wouldn't tear up again.

"Harry, I'm sorry. Once we started, it was impossible to back out. If I would have revealed myself at anytime, all the work would have been for nothing. This morning was Peter has been arrested and he'll go to jail, you can live with Rose and me if you want." Sirius wiped a tear from his cheek. He didn't Harry to think even less of him. 

Harry turned to Rose. "You swear that you were totally ignorant to his plans."

"Harry, don't you think you would have **seen** something if I had seen Sirius after he died?" Rose said truthfully. Harry had seen his share of Rose's memories during occulmency.  
  
Harry thought about it. There wasn't a lot he _didn't_ see…That seemed to settle the matter for Harry. 

"I'm going to tell Ron and Hermione. They'll want to know…" Harry gave Rose a quick hug and smiled feebly at Sirius. "I'll be back later…" Harry told them as he left.

Once Rose was sure that Harry was out of earshot, she resumed her argument with Sirius.

"Harry was right you **_could have_** told us that you weren't dead." Rose said vehemently. 

Sirius put his arms around Rose and pulled her close. Rose was too tired to push him away. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness or love. I'm asking, no begging, for a chance to make it up to you." Sirius whispered in Rose's ear.

Rose gazed into his eyes. "How do intend on making this better?" Rose asked her eyes brimming with tears.

"By spending the rest of my life pining over my one and only love, spending every day longing for your touch, hoping- no praying that one day I'll be the worthy recipient of your love again."

Rose didn't reply verbally. She melted into Sirius. Rose silently wept into Sirius' shoulder. He simply held her in his arms.

"Rose?" Sirius said after a while. "Are the babies alright?" 

"I'm pretty sure they are. I can feel them kick sometimes." Rose said not lifting her head from Sirius' shoulder.

"Are they boys or girls?" 

"I think they're boys." Rose told him.

"You mean you haven't checked that out yet?" Sirius asked disapprovingly. Rose gave Sirius an icy look.

"_No_, I haven't." Rose said acidly. She pulled away from Sirius' hold and sat on her desk, propping her feet on her chair.

"Why not? Are you scared about something? From what I've heard, it's a simple test…" Sirius said matter-of-factly. He knew how to get Rose to do something.

"I'm not scared to. If you're so eager to see that I'm right let's go." Rose said standing up. She staggered a moment then caught her balance.

"You should also have Madame Pomfrey check you out too. You've fainted twice today." Sirius said.

They walked to the Hospital Wing; Sirius kept his arm around Rose's waist. She allowed him to because she couldn't shake the dizzy sensation that had plagued her since that morning. 

Madame Pomfrey ran to Rose at once.

"What is it this time?" She asked wearily.

"I..er… We want to see the gender of the babies." Rose said as if announcing it to a council of people. "I don't have any doubts, I'm having boys. I'm only testing so _some_ of us believe." Rose stared pointedly at Sirius.

"Ok. Lay down here. Good…good. Now relax. This is a complex medical charm." Madame Pomfrey pulled out her wand and tapped each side of Rose's pelvis then her naval. She moved her wand counterclockwise three times around Rose's stomach and said in a clear voice: "Dimela Dimela Dimela"

Two images of fetuses projected from Rose's naval. Madame Pomfrey examined them with her wand, examining them as if they were the real thing. After a long examination, Madame Pomfrey seemed satisfied. She said "yatengo yatengo yatengo." And the babies disappeared. 

"Well?" Sirius asked. He was holding Rose's had tightly.

"The babies are well, remarkably well to be honest. They even seem to get along. The boy is a little further along, but the girl is more aware of her surroundings." 

Rose tried to sit up, but Madame Pomfrey stopped her. "Yes Professor Black, you're having a boy and a girl." Madame Pomfrey was grinning broadly.

"I wanted to have a girl…" Sirius commented.

"Hey, I was half right." Rose said smiling.

"I guess it happened like this because we went at it so many times that night." Sirius said in an undertone. Rose turned red.

"You were just trying to get the last bit of action you'd get until you finished your job." Rose whispered back, smiling.

Madame Pomfrey pretended not to hear that exchange. "Professor, you need to reduce the amount of stress in your life. The fainting today was just a precursor to what could happen. However, I think you'll be fine as long as you don't have any more dead people come to visit you." Madame Pomfrey scowled at Sirius.

"It wasn't anything to worry about then?" Rose asked. She didn't want to be fussed over until February.

"Not yet, but if you faint or feel dizzy again I want you to come straight here." Madame Pomfrey said sternly. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(What Harry did after he left Rose's office)

Harry shut the door to Rose's office and slowly walked back to the Common Room. He could feel tears surging into his eyes and started to walk faster. Before he could stop himself, the tears were streaming down his face. Harry broke into a full out run. Harry ran right into Snape.

Harry wiped his face before he stood up.

"What are you doing, Potter?" Snape hissed.

"I was returning to the Common Room...sir" Harry said shortly.

"Why were you running?" Snape asked, hoping he could give Harry detention.

"I…I was in Professor Black's office…sir. She…needed to talk to me." Harry muttered.

"Oh. She told you about your godfather then?" Snape asked tactlessly.

"**_You_** knew? How many people knew? Was I the **ONLY** person here that didn't know? Sir. Harry added, he didn't want to give Snape an excuse to throw him into detention for the rest of his life.

"Not that it's your business, but I didn't know. Neither did Professor Black. Apparently, Sirius thinks he is above death." 

"You're just angry because this means that Rose is still married and therefore off the market! I noticed how you act around her!' Harry yelled, he instantly regretted it.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor. If I were you, I'd stop making unfounded statements and butt out of the personal lives of Professors, particularly me." Snape said coolly as he walked away.

Harry ran into Gryffindor's common room. Ron and Hermione weren't anywhere in sight. Ginny spotted Harry right away.

"Harry, what happened? Ron told me that you had to go see Rose. Is she alright?" Ginny asked. She could tell by looking at Harry that he wasn't OK.

"Can we sit down somewhere?" Harry asked.

Ginny took Harry by the hand and led him to a secluded part of the common room. "What is it Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry couldn't look Ginny in the eyes. "Sirius… he's alive. He and Dumbledore faked his death and he's been alive all this time." Harry could feel the tears again. ~ _Dammit, stop it._~ He lectured himself.

Ginny pulled Harry close to her. Ginny's touch seemed to make Harry's pain go away. Harry looked into Ginny's eyes. ~_Go on, Harry, kiss her…_~ He prompted himself. Harry leaned in for the kiss.

"Oi! Harry! We've been looking for you!" Ron yelled jogging over to them. Ron observed the situation and his ears turned red, as did Ginny's. 

"Now you've found us." Ginny said icily, upset that her brother had ruined her kiss with Harry.

Harry was slightly peeved, but new he should tell his two best friends that Sirius was alive.

After Harry explained everything to Ron and Hermione, they insisted on going to see Rose. When they got to Rose's office, she and Sirius were in a heated discussion.

"I'm _not_ leaving Hogwarts just because you stressed me out one day!" Rose fumed. 

"Your job shouldn't supersede your marriage or your children!" Sirius shot back at her, his eyes were full of fire.

Rose was outraged. "_My_ job? I'm not the one who fake their death, risked their life, and didn't tell their spouse, for my job!" Rose and Sirius were face to face now.

"I…I…" Sirius couldn't think of a rebuttal. Sirius' only response was to erotically kiss Rose. Rose returned his kiss with the same vigor. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron could see the passion between them. 

After a minute, Harry cleared his throat loudly. They didn't stop. Harry decided to cough loudly, they kept at it. Harry looked to the others for an idea. Hermione picked up a large book and dropped it. Rose and Sirius stopped abruptly.

Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "Hey…er…long time no see…" he said nervously.

"That explains the babies." Ginny said breaking the silence.

"Speaking of babies…" Rose said smiling.

"You're having boys!" Ron and Hermione said excitedly.

"You're having girls!" Ginny and Harry said at the same time.

"Yes." Sirius said smirking. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny gave them a quizzical look.

"We're having a boy and a girl." Rose explained.

They all congratulated Rose and Sirius. Hermione and Ginny trapped Sirius in a hug, expressing their joy at his return. Ron settled with a handshake. After the jabber settled, Harry's curiosity overcame him.

"Why would you leave, Rose?"

"Well, I fainted twice today. Madame Pomfrey said it was due to stress (mainly from seeing Sirius again)." Rose shot a look at Sirius (Harry couldn't tell if it was anger or love, maybe it was both). "She said that if I'm under that much stress for the rest of my pregnancy then I could get sick. However, as long as I don't have any more dead people come back from the dead, I'll be fine." Rose said looking pointedly at Sirius.

"IF Rose is too stressed out, it could result in complications in the pregnancy and she could die." Sirius said melodramatically. ~_She keeps saying 'mainly'. What else happened today to stress her out?_~ Sirius wondered.

Harry could see the same sparks in Rose and Sirius' eyes that were there before. "Before you two go at it again, are you leaving, Rose?" 

Sirius smiled sheepishly at Harry's remark. "I'm not leaving." Rose said with a tone of finality in her voice. "Only Dumbledore could make me leave." Sirius wasn't happy with Rose's decision, but knew he couldn't change her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day at breakfast, 'the Daily Prophet' told the school what a handful of students and all the staff learned the day before. Once the word spread around the school, students flocked to Rose plaguing her with questions. 

"Did you know…"

"Is it true…"

"What did you think…"

"Will we meet him…." (Mainly giggly girls asked that one)

"When did you know…"

Rose responded to all the questions in the same manner: "Students are not to meddle in the personal life of professors, I am a professor, stop meddling."

Later that afternoon, Dumbledore summoned Rose to his office.

"Rose, I first want to commend you on how you told Harry about Sirius. I might add that one reason for not telling him was the connection that Voldemort has with his emotions.

"I also want to say that I would understand if you wanted to leave to spend time with Sirius. It is something that you have been deprived of since before Lily and James died."

Rose hadn't thought about that. She hadn't gone on a date with her husband or even walked together in a public place since early 80's.

"I know that you've missed Sirius and haven't lived with him for a good portion of your marriage, so I will accept your resignation, if you give it to me before tonight. I'm not asking you to leave, I'm just giving you the option to." Dumbledore settled back in his chair, allowing Rose to think.

"I…I… I'll get back to you later tonight. I have to think about it some more." Rose said.

Rose left Dumbledore's office with her mind full of questions. Rose didn't return to her office right away. She wandered around the castle aimlessly. Without realizing it, Rose was standing outside of Severus' office.

Rose took in a deep breath and went in. Severus looked up and didn't meet Rose's eyes. He couldn't look at her. 

"Severus… I just wanted to see how you're…er…doing." Rose said awkwardly. 

Snape gave Rose a cold look. "I well, thank you." Severus said icily. Rose gave him a piercing stare. This set Severus off.

"What is it, mudblood? You think that your husband coming back hurts me? You think that it matters to me that the only inkling of emotion I've felt since before I can remember was stolen before I could really feel it? Sorry, it doesn't. I'm Severus Snape. I don't fall in love with mudbloods. I don't cry at funerals, I don't care when people come back from the dead. And I really don't give a shit how you and your degenerate husband lead your insignificant lives!" Snape's chest was heaving by the time he finished. 

Rose looked terrified. She stopped herself from feeling anything. Rose's face went expressionless. 

"You _heartless_ bastard. I came down here- I don't know **why** I came down here! Maybe for **ONE** insane moment I thought that under mean, spiteful demeanor was a person I could be friends with. No, you proved James and Sirius right. You are and always will be a hook nosed, greasy haired git who substitutes relationships with animosity and hides his fear of actually letting someone know him with his reputation of being an ass… You're just a sad, scared man." Rose spewed out. Rose glared vehemently at Snape before she stormed to her office to mull over what Dumbledore said.

Next time, Sirius will try and see what else caused Rose stress the day he returned and gets in a fight because of it. Rose decides whether to move back to London and live as a married couple for the first time in years or stay at Hogwarts. Remus deals with Sirius too.

Review please.

Thank you to my reviewers!


	16. The Choices We Make

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

Thank you to the nth power to everyone who has reviewed! (my nerdom reigns) 

Sirius went to Hogsmeade, mainly to visit the Three broomsticks; he needed a stiff drink. ~_I haven't walked in the open for over 15 years… _~ Sirius thought as he passed a group of people. His first instinct was to hide his face, then he realized that he didn't have to.

~_Good thing Percy put out the 'official pardon'… I guess it would have been more useful if people weren't use to me being dead… I'm alive now, and that's what matters. It doesn't seem to matter to Rose, one of the only people I want it to matter to. I know she's happy. I wish I knew what else caused her so much stress before I saw her. It must have been big…_~ 

Sirius wandered into the Three Broomsticks and sat at the counter. Madame Rosemerta approached him apprehensively. Before she could make any inquiry, Sirius ordered Fire Whiskey.

Rosemerta served Sirius his drink. "How have you been?" She asked thickly.

Sirius couldn't think where to start. "I'm better than I have been in some ways, in other ways, I'm worse."

"How's Rose, I read about her in the paper a few months ago…" Rosemerta forged on, she wanted dibs on this piece of gossip.

"She's pregnant and pissed off." Sirius said looking around the bar. He didn't want to tell the last fifteen years of his life to Rosemerta just to get some advice about today. ~_Remus is here!~ _Sirius thought excitedly. He picked up his drink and sat at the table with his friend.

"Hey Remus. I wanted to thank you… for being there for Rose these past months." Sirius said revealing his rarely seen humble and grateful side.

"Someone had to be." Remus said coolly. He still wasn't kosher with Sirius coming back like he did, upsetting Rose to the point where she could have gotten hurt.

Sirius counted the empty shot glasses on the table. There were nine and only one was his. "Erm… do you know what could have stressed Rose out yesterday, besides me?" Sirius asked, sparing himself the 'you did this to her' speech.

"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to ask her…" Remus said evasively. 

Sirius could tell Remus was holding back information. "Did you talk to anyone else about it?" Sirius pressed.

"I…er…talkedtoseverus…" Remus said quickly. He was drunk, but he wasn't drunk enough to tell Sirius about Snape's involvement in the previous day.

"What was that? You talked to Snape? What would he have to do with anything?" Sirius asked frantically.

Remus could tell that Sirius wouldn't relent until he had every shred of information. "Severus ran into Rose in the Room of Requirement. She was cooking." Remus said as if it was common place for two people to show up in the Room of Requirement on a Saturday morning. "I don't know why she was cooking. It must be a pregnant thing." Remus paused there hoping Sirius would go on the tangent he had presented.

Sirius didn't say anything.

~_Why must you force this information out of me? It will only hurt you._~ Remus thought as he continued. 

"When Snape went in there, Rose was talking to herself, snapekissedherandsheleft. Then Rose went and saw you." Remus said hoping Sirius wouldn't work out the words he stringed together. Sirius was on his 5th Fire Whiskey shot.

"You know that Rose wants to stay here and teach?" Sirius asked clunking his glass on the table.

"Why wouldn't she?" Remus asked as he started on his 10th shot.

"I'm back. We could live together. I thought she'd jump at the chance."

"Remember how Lily was after she had to stop working? If I were you, I'd let her teach as long as she can, for your own good mate."

They both burst into a fit of drunken laughter. 

"Almost drove James crazy." Sirius reminisced giggling rapturously.

"Drove **us** crazy! Every time he'd have to work, we'd get stuck with Lily and- you remember what she was like." Remus said nodding stupidly.

"Rose had to try her best to keep her happy! It took all her cunning to get through that!" Sirius laughed loudly.

"Can you imagine what Arthur has gone through. Dealing with that-" Remus held out his fingers to count. "Umm…seven times!!"

Sirius held his hand up to silence Remus. "My friend, it was only six times. Once was twins." Sirius said quasi-seriously.

Remus looked hard at his hands and counted again. "You're right six! You- Rose is having twos- er twines- I mean TWINS that's it. She's having twins." Remus said profoundly.

"Never doubt the virility of a man who knows he won't be with his wife for- a while." Sirius said loud enough for most of the bar to hear.

"Yeah… Rose is great you know. Really fabulous. She's better than Jiffy Pop." Remus said soberly.

"What the hell is Jiffy Pop?" Sirius barked, causing Remus to burst into a new fit of laughter.

"I don't know!" He laughed. "I heard Rose talk about it once when she was talking about Washington. She seems to like it, whatever the hell it is!"

Sirius looked at his watch, it was almost eleven. He decided to ask Remus what happened in the Room of Requirement. Sirius hoped that Remus had drunk enough Fire Whiskey.

"So, what did Snivellus do in the Room of Requirement to upset Rose?" Sirius asked between the Fire Whiskey induced giggles. 

Remus was too smashed to think about his words. "Well, when he heard Rose talking about how you'd get her off, he kissed her like she was describing." Remus said laughing insipidly. "Then-" Remus suddenly noticed he was alone. He looked to the door and saw the last bit of Sirius leaving the bar.

Remus stood up and slipped in a puddle on the floor. Remus kneeled down precariously and realized what it was. ~_Fire Whiskey! That jerk. He wasn't drunk._~ Remus thought angrily. 

Remus tottered up to Madame Rosemerta. "Did he say anything before he left?" Remus asked hiccuping, he was just processing the information he had just passed.

"He paid your bill and for a room for you to stay in." Madame Rosemerta said eyeing Remus. She wasn't use to seeing Remus drunk; it was usually Hagrid or Snape.

"Did he say anything else?" Remus pressed on.

Madame Rosemerta wasn't giving up what Sirius told her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius snuck into the castle and made an a-line to Snape's office. Sirius didn't bother knocking, he made a point of opening the door as loudly as he could.

Snape stood up in protest to the rude intrusion.

"What are _you_ doing here, Black? Are you drunk?" He asked disdainfully. 

"No, I'm not. I think a more pertinent question would be,** WHY THE HELL DID YOU KISS MY WIFE?**" Sirius yelled. Snape looked slightly taken aback, then he regained composure.

"Did _Rose_ tell you that?" ~_It would figure. I piss her off and she runs to that excuse for a husband._~ Snape thought spitefully.

"No, Remus did." Sirius was disgusted at the way Snape used Rose's name like a swear word.

"I should've known better than to tell a werewolf. I suppose you two were drinking buddies tonight?" Snape asked smirking.

"It wasn't the first time you tried to make a move on Rose, was it?" Sirius asked accusingly, ignoring Snape's attempts to divert his anger. 

"Did you're _half-breed_ friend tell you about that too?" 

"No, _you_ just did." Sirius said drawing his wand. "**WHAT EXACTLY HAVE YOU DONE WITH OR TO MY WIFE?**" Sirius asked keeping his wand pointed at Snape's greasy temple.

Snape broke under the pressure (**A/N**: I know he withstands Voldemort and all, it must be the fear of a man whose wife was hit on by his archenemy, not the fear one holds for the most powerful dark wizard. I think they're almost on the same level…riiiight)

"I tried to kiss her once, I was drunk." Snape added quickly, hoping that Sirius would empathize with being drunk. 

"And yesterday."

"I er… kissed her on the neck-" Snape was going to give Sirius every sensuous detail and add some just to piss him off even more.

"**I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE**!" Sirius roared. "You're a _sick_ man. Hitting on a widow, taking advantage of something you shouldn't have overheard…**SICK**! Not to mention that it was _my_ wife." Sirius still had his wand pointed at Snape.

Snape tried to think of the words to justify his actions. None came.

"If I hear anything about you trying to doing _any_thing to or with Rose that does not pertain to school I will hunt you like…like-". Sirius was at a loss for words.

"A dog?" Snape offered. 

Sirius glared at Snape. "Exactly."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose had been in her room since she talked to Snape that afternoon. The contents of that conversation didn't bother her, she accepted that Snape was an ass. Rose couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Dumbledore. She desperately wanted to talk to Sirius about the decision she had to make. Rose was starting to worry about Sirius.

~_Maybe Hogsmeade hasn't heard that he's been cleared… what if someone cursed him…or killed him. **Stop it** Rose. He's fine, he's just out later than he said he'd be. I really need to talk to him before I talk to Dumbledore._~

Rose waited patiently. Rose didn't go to dinner, hoping she would catch Sirius on his way in. He didn't come. At eight, Rose made up her mind. ~_If he's not here to help me make the decision, I'll make it by myself!_~ Rose walked to Dumbledore's office slowly, hoping to see Sirius on the way.

"Sir…" Rose said meekly as she peeked around the door.

"Yes, Professor, come in. Have a seat. You've made your decision?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm staying. I though about leaving, I wanted to talk to Sirius about it, but he's been in Hogsmeade since this afternoon…" Rose stopped herself from going off about Sirius in front of Dumbledore.

"I'm glad that you're staying, you're the best Defense Against the Dark Art's Professor we've had in many years. When you have to leave, don't hesitate to tell me. I understand the pregnancies can turn on a dime." Dumbledore said knowingly. 

"Thank you, sir." Rose said leaving.

Rose tried to stay up and wait for Sirius, it was getting late and she had to be up early.

Rose kept the light in the bathroom on like she always did and crawled into bed. Rose couldn't fall asleep, she was too worried. 

It was midnight when Sirius sauntered in. Rose watched his silhouette. He tip-toed daintily, he didn't want to wake Rose up. Sirius stripped down to his boxers. (A/N: I love using the words strip and Sirius together) Rose loved watching Sirius undress when he thought no one was watching, it was somehow sexier, more natural than when he was trying to impress her. Sirius was about to get in bed. Sirius shivered slightly as the cold air touched his skin; he couldn't wait to get into bed.

"Lumos" Rose said, lighting her wand and revealing her 'less than amicable' expression.

Sirius looked as if he had been caught naked at a Quidditch match.

"Hey honey?" Sirius knew he had it coming. What 'it' was he wasn't sure, but he knew he deserved it.

"Why did you stay out so late? I was expecting an hour or so in Hogsmeade, not a ten-hour stretch! I was here worrying about **_your_** safety! For all I knew, you had been **mobbed by a bunch of uninformed idiots**! You think my **JOB** stresses me out? _IT_ doesn't, you do!" Rose watched the Goosebumps form on Sirius with great satisfaction. 

"Rose, I was talking with Remus and… I lost track of time…" Sirius said looking at the warm bed longingly. Rose kept her hand over the covers so Sirius couldn't get in. She wanted to say her piece with Sirius' full attention.

"I talked to Dumbledore today. He gave me the option of leaving here. He reminded me that we hadn't lived as a married couple since the early 80's. I actually considered leaving; I just wanted to talk to you about it before I made my decision. Dumbledore said that I'd have to give him the answer before this evening." Rose took her hand off the covers as she said the last part.

Sirius jumped into bed and thought about the significance of what his wife had said.

"You would've come home?"

"I said I considered it. I really wanted to talk to you about it though." Rose made herself comfortable again. 

Sirius didn't lay down right away. He just stared into the darkness. ~_If I hadn't been so damn eager to…. God damn it… I ruin everything._~ Sirius settled into bed and eventually fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Wake up, Honey. You've slept through breakfast. I thought you were going back to London this morning." Rose said as she dressed. She put on a midnight button-up robe.

Sirius stretched out sleepily. "I'll go this afternoon." He yawned.

"**No**, I'm not letting you over-extend your welcome here. You know that Dumbledore doesn't let spouses stay here. He made an exception for you. _Don't_ give me that look. No one _made_ you stay out till midnight."

Sirius got out of bed tiredly. Rose walked over to him and put her hands on his bare shoulders, ran her finger between Sirius' pectoral muscles and down to his navel. 

"You really are something." Rose said softly. Despite the toll Azkaban took on Sirius' body, he was still as sumptuous as when he was younger.

Sirius put his hand on Rose's stomach. "I'm nothing compared to you." He said earnestly. Sirius smoothly undid the button over Rose's bosom, causing her brassiere to show. Rose burst into a fit of giggles.

"You always were good with your hands." Rose said kissing Sirius on the cheek. Rose looked at her watch, "_Clothes_, Hogsmeade, **now**." Rose said testily, re-buttoning her robes.

Sirius looked as if someone had robbed him of his Jiffy Pop but got dressed nonetheless.

Rose looked at her watch. "Hurry! I don't want you mobbed by my class!" Rose said urging Sirius to the door. Sirius lingered at the door to her class holding Rose's hand as he said goodbye.

"I'll be back next weekend. Remus will stay with me at Grimmauld. I'll probably be at the Ministry for most of the week. I love you, Rose."

"I love you." Rose said kissing Sirius. The class came around the corner just in time to see Sirius leave.

It took Rose fifteen minutes to settle the class down before she could start her lesson.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose was surprised at the new tempo of her life. She started to journal her pregnancy so she could remember the small details. On Wednesday, while she was journaling, Malfoy wandered into her office.

"Mr. Malfoy, how can I help you this evening?" Rose asked, somewhat surprised to see him.

"I need to talk to someone, someone that I can trust." Malfoy said shutting the door.

"Sit down, please." Rose said conjuring a comfortable chair for Malfoy to sit in.

Malfoy looked slightly indignant. He looked at the chair Rose conjured and the one she made him sit in for his detentions. He was going to say something, but decided to get on with his point.

"I got a letter from my father… He said that he wants me to tell him…" Malfoy's voice seemed to fail him for a moment. "…to tell him everything I know about you and Harry. I don't know why he put the two of you together, but I'll be 17 soon…"

Rose listened intently, waiting for his main point to emerge.

"I think when I'm 17, he'll make me choose to do something… something I don't want to do… tell him things I don't want to…"

~_Oh shit. If Lucius wants Draco to get the Mark burnt into him, he won't wait until he's of age. Oh God… what can I do…_~

"When does he expect you to tell him about Harry and me?" Rose asked, hoping she could push back the date as long as possible.

"During Christmas break."

"Could you stay here? I'm sure that Dumbledore could help come up with a reason for you to stay" Rose offered. Rose didn't that Draco couldn't go to Grimmauld Place for Christmas.

"I don't want anyone else involved. I know my father deserves it, but I don't want him sent to Azkaban." Draco said firmly.

"Draco, if you want me to help, you'll have to trust me. I _might_ be able to arrange for you to stay with someone during the break. You'd have to behave though. I'm not even sure if it would work. You need to trust Dumbledore too." Rose told Malfoy in a stern voice.

"Look what happens to people when they trust him! Look what happened to you! Your husband was wrongly accused of something and had to fake his death to catch the culprit!" Malfoy shut-up quickly, he could've kicked himself for saying that. "I'm sorry, Professor Black…" he added, hoping to be spared detention.

"I suppose trusting Voldemort would be advisable then? You don't seem to want to do that either. I don't trust many people, Mr. Malfoy. I trust Dumbledore, and you seem to trust me. If you want my help, you'll have to allow me to talk to someone older and wiser than I am." Rose said tiredly.

"Alright… Can I ask you something, Professor Black?" 

"I don't know if I'll answer, but go ahead." Rose replied.

"Why would my father ask for information about you _and_ Potter?"

Rose wasn't sure if she should tell him, but decided to return some of the trust Draco gave her. "If I hear that you've told anyone this, I'll put you in detention till you're older than Professor Dumbledore. Harry is my godson."

Malfoy looked as if he'd unearthed a national conspiracy. "So… you… you've been favoring him? Is that why you were at the try-outs? And the detentions?" Malfoy asked suspiciously.

"No, I don't favor Harry in class. I was at the try-outs because I was on a walk and fancied to watch. You _earned_ the detentions all on your own." Rose said smiling. Malfoy still looked unconvinced. "If I hadn't told you, would you have guessed by my interaction with Harry?" Rose asked.

"No… I just thought he was sucking up or he was trying to get on your good side…"

"An intelligent student such as yourself would have noticed if I was acting favorably towards Harry." Rose said slyly. She knew that complimenting Malfoy would get him off her case.

"Yeah, I would have noticed." Malfoy said pompously.

"Goodnight then, Mr. Malfoy." 

"Bye, Professor Black."

Rose didn't know exactly what to do. She knew that she had to help Draco. Rose's eyes filled with tears just thinking about what could happen if she didn't help. Rose felt a burden settling on her shoulders. Rose knew that she would have to do something about this herself, no one else could help. Rose tried to journal for a while longer, but her mind constantly wandered over to Draco and what that bastard he called a father would do to him.

_________________________________________________________________

A/N: This plot is getting so twisted, you'd think I was making mitochondrial DNA. (Can you tell I'm taking Bio?)

Please review! I'd like to thank my reviewers (again) for being so courteous as to give me their opinions on my writing. I don't know what the rest of you are doing. I'll just assume that your computer only has a mouse and doesn't have a character map and you live in a remote area and you have the only computer within miles, otherwise you would have used someone else's to review…. I _Know_ it.


	17. How to Deal

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

I've changed the last two chapters. I added some important conversations that I kicked myself for not having when I first posted the chapts. It would be beneficial to you as a reader to go through a read the new stuff. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose's dreams were besieged by images of Malfoy being forced to take the Mark and serve Voldemort. She kept dreaming that Harry went to save Malfoy and died in the process. Rose woke up and was drenched in sweat.

~_I hate dreams. Harry doesn't even like Draco, he wouldn't go to save him. You need to get a grip on reality._~ Rose told herself sternly.

Rose rolled out of bed and walked blindly over to the bathroom. Once Rose walked in, she walked right back out and rubbed her eyes. She walked back in and looked around. Every inch of her bathroom was covered with roses. There were red roses, burgundy roses, white roses, black roses, yellow roses, blue roses, and translucent roses.

Rose put her contacts in as quickly as humanly possible to be able to see all the flowers in her bathroom. Slowly, the room came into focus. The roses were laid out in intricate design. Upon further inspection, Rose noticed that each rose said 'I love' on it. Rose smiled at the message. 

~_'I love rose' cute. I know who these are from._~ Rose picked up one of the only black roses and examined it. 'Love Always' was written on it. ~_Only Sirius would sign a gift like this on a black rose._~ she thought fondly.

Rose examined her wedding ring. ~_It was a very Sirius act_~ Rose thought chuckling. She had let Sirius pick a ring that he thought could symbolize their relationship. He came back after hours of shopping with a gold ring that had a black onyx stone on it. In the middle of the stone, there was a tiny rose. He told Rose that the gold was for their relationship, the rose was for Rose's beautiful mind and body, and the black was for her new name.

Rose's classes noticed a change in her demeanor that day. One seventh year went so far as to ask if Rose had been on the receiving end of a hundred cheering charms. She simply smiled benignly and continued her lesson.

It wasn't until lunch that Malfoy crept back into her mind. The more Rose thought about it the more she was utterly confused as to what she should do. 

Rose went to Dumbledore with the problem that evening, after dinner. 

"Why, Professor Black. I wasn't expecting anyone this evening." Dumbledore said smiling despite the surprise. "Please, sit down."

"I need to talk to you about a student." Rose said after she sat down. 

"Problems with students need to be taken up with their Head of House. You know that." Dumbledore said.

"It's not a problem _with_ the student. A student _has_ a problem." Rose clarified.

"Oh… who is it?"

"It's Draco Malfoy, sir. Lucius is going to force him to divulge information about Harry and me, which doesn't bother me. Lucius may also force him to follow Voldemort." Rose said, she didn't want to wait until the shit hit the fan to try to turn it off.

"Mr. Malfoy doesn't want to follow Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked, he didn't want to extend his trust to someone who didn't deserve or need it.

"No sir, he doesn't. Malfoy thinks that his father will force him to do something during the Christmas holiday."

"What do you think should be done?"

"I don't know. He could stay with Sirius and me at Grimmauld Place, but then he'd learn too much about the Order. He could stay at the school, but no one deserves to spend the holidays alone. He could stay at the Weasleys, but I don't know how that would work considering how the Malfoys and the Weasleys get along. He could stay with Tonks, Remus, or Kingsley, but that would lead to more questions about the Order." Rose paused to take in a deep breath.

"There are so many things to consider. He could be earnest, not want to tell his father anything, and not harbor any loyalties to Voldemort. He could also be act on his father's command right now. He could be doing all this so he could get a peek at the Order. I want to believe that he doesn't want to follow Voldemort. The only way I could be sure would be to use Legimency on him and see if he's telling the truth…" Rose finished, still feeling unresolved.

"Do you think he would agree to Legimancy?" Dumbledore asked sincerely. He wasn't well aquatinted with Draco. 

"If I explained why I needed to do it, if I made it sound like taking collateral, and if he's telling the truth, I think he'll agree." Rose said uncertainly. 

"If he agrees, then you may. Don't make him any promises until you talk to me about what you see." 

"Sir, he's apprehensive about Lucius going to Azkaban. He's afraid that telling you anything could result in that. We all know that Lucius is a dirty-rotten-good-for-nothing wizard, we don't have to prove it through Draco's memories, do we?" Rose asked pleadingly. 

"I guess not. I still want to hear what you saw though." 

"Yes, sir. I should scoot off to bed, I'm tired." Rose said. It was only half-true. She really wanted to go admire her roses some more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rose was putting the flowers in her office, classroom, and bedroom when Harry popped in. 

"Hey Profes- wow! I guess Sirius really knows when he's in the dog house!" Harry said looking at the sheer number of roses that were in the classroom.

"If you ever faked your death, don't you think you'd exert a bit of effort trying to make up with Ginny?" Rose asked in a very Hermione-like voice.

"Well yeah- how'd you know about that?"

"Do you think I'm impervious to the on-goings at this school, or is it that I'm blind to the actions and motives of teenagers since it's been so long since I've been one?" Rose asked smiling. 

"Are all women like you, Hermione, and Ginny or did I just get the short end of the stick in that respect?" Harry joked.

"Only the good ones, Harry, only the good ones." Rose debated whether to ask Harry about Malfoy, she decided not to. "Did you need something, Harry? Or is this just a social visit?" Rose asked detecting an anxious look on Harry's face.

"I was wondering… what's it like to be married?" Harry turned bright red.

"Well, I'm probably not the _best_ person to ask since my marriage hasn't been typical. Marriage is a lifetime commitment to one person. You spend everyday and every night with the person you marry. It's daunting at times, and it's also the most comforting thought in the world. I know that Sirius loves me and that won't change. Sirius know that I love him, and that won't change either."

"He's sure pushed that to the limit…" Harry scoffed. 

"He's human, if I were to wait for a perfect man, I'd still be waiting. I guess being married is like spending your whole life with your bestfriend. Why are you so curious about marriage?" Rose asked.

"I…er… was just wondering…" Harry said evasively.

"Ok… Just know that marriage is a lifetime thing, it shouldn't be entered into lightly…" Rose said thinking about her own parents.

"Thanks Rose. I should get back to the common room, I think it's almost past hours." Harry said so he wouldn't have to answer any more questions about his inquiry. 

"Night Harry." Rose called as he left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Early the next evening Sirius came back to Hogwarts. Rose was grading when she noticed his virile outline in her doorway. Rose was well aware that it was Sirius at the door and decided to make him the unwitting recipient of a joke. 

"Not tonight, Severus. Sirius will be here at anytime." Rose said hardly able to keep her voice steady, she was about ready to burst into a fit of laughter. Sirius' shoulders drooped dejectedly and he crossed his arms.

"Real funny. I'm dying with laughter. I hope there's a bathroom nearby 'cause I'm about to wet myself that was so funny" Sirius said monotonously. Sirius stepped into the room. "Do I look like a bat-like figure to you?"

"Well, in some light, after a few drinks, and on the third Thursday of the month, you do." Rose said in her most serious voice. "In all actuality, you could pass for Severus if you had a nose job and changed your hair. I think you two are the same height and close to the same weight…" Rose said thoughtfully.

"I had to answer at least a thousand questions from the Ministry this week." Sirius said to change the subject. He didn't like being compared to someone he hated, especially when that person has a thing for his wife.

"What types of questions?" Rose asked feeling a sudden rush of blood to her head.

"Just typical questions. How I followed Peter, How I was privy to his action without being a Death Eater myself. Nothing big." Sirius said nonchalantly.

"Being questioned by the Ministry is never a minor event. They're not going to do anything about you being an illegal animagi, are they?"

"No, they said that I've paid for that by spending 12 years in Azkaban." Sirius assured Rose.

"Good. There's a Qudditch game tomorrow. It's Gryffendor versus Ravenclaw. I think that Gryffendor has a good chance." 

"Of course they do, it's Gryffendor." Sirius said as if there was never a reason to doubt Gryffendor's greatness.

"Yes, I forget that Gryffendors can walk on water too." Rose joked. Sirius didn't get it. "By the way, thank you for the roses, they're magnificent."

Sirius gave Rose his infamous irresistible grin. "I knew you'd like them." He said pulling Rose close to him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry woke up before sunrise on Saturday. He was more nervous than usual. Somehow, being team captain elevated his nervousness ten fold. Harry decided to forgo the process of pretending to sleep until someone else woke up and got dressed then.

As soon as Harry opened the curtain to his four-poster bed, he saw that Ron was awake too. They didn't say anything. When they were dressed, Ron and Harry went down to the common room. They both knew it was too early to traipse down to the Great Hall, so they sat by the fire.

After half and hour, Ginny and Hermione made it down to the common room. Hermione looked that the three of them and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, it's just a game. Our team is insurmountably better than Ravenclaw." Hermione said reproachfully. She didn't fully understand their affinity for a game in which they rode around on a narrow stick chasing enchanted balls. 

"Of course you would minimize something that couldn't be fully understood from within a book." Ron shot at her.

Another Ron-Hermione argument ensued. Harry rolled his eyes, he knew that the conclusion would be them snogging passionately in some corner. Harry couldn't understand how a 'happy' couple could argue all the time. Then he started to think about Rose and Sirius. The one time he'd seen them really kissing was during a heated argument.

"Ginny and I are going to breakfast." Harry announced louder than necessary. "Hope to see you two there in one piece." Harry said as he and Ginny left. Ron and Hermione didn't seem to notice their departure. 

Harry walked to the Great Hall with his Firebolt in one hand and Ginny in the other.

"Ginny, what do you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked outside of the Great Hall.

"I don't know. I thought about being a Healer… I don't think I'm patient enough to do that… Why?"

"I've been trying to decide what I should do. I wanted to be an Auror, but I don't want to work for the Ministry. They haven't even appointed a new Minister, it's been a week. I couldn't live with all the political tensions." Harry said sighing heavily.

Ginny looked slightly apprehensive. "Oh… then it would be a bad thing to tell you that Dad might be the new Minister?" 

"That would be great! He'd be a great Minister of Magic. He's perfect actually." Harry said thickly. His mind was on Qudditch, he wasn't processing any information right then. 

Malfoy walked by them. He gave Harry an appraising look, said nothing, and went into the Great Hall.

Ginny and Harry exchanged confused looks. "I wonder what that was about…" Ginny pondered aloud.

"I don't know, nor do I care. Let's grab some toast so we can get to the pitch early." Harry suggested. He didn't want Malfoy to interfere with his game mindset.

Twenty minutes later, Harry and Ginny were in the changing room. Harry was waiting expectantly for the rest of the team to show up. 

When they arrived, Harry gave them a riveting pre-game, win it for the Gipper, leave no player standing speech. (**A/N**: I think I spelled Gipper right, you know the speech the Notre Dame coach used. He kept referring to an injured player 'the Gipper' and told them to win it for him…. Ring any bells?)

With his girlfriend and his bestfriend on either side, Harry went out to face Ravenclaw.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rose and Sirius had some troubles finding decent seats. They took refuge in the teacher's seating section. Rose and Sirius had been 'preoccupied' and lost track of time. 

Sirius was glad they were there to see the start of the match.

"Harry looks really nervous." Rose observed.

"He hasn't played since last winter, he probably feels a bit rusty." Sirius suggested.

"Maybe, he's finally realized that he's an inadequate seeker and was only put on the team because of his famous name." Severus' cold voice came from behind Rose and Sirius. "Bit late weren't we?" He asked with a smirk on his face. "Certainly you weren't trying to procreate further?"

Rose had been trying her best to ignore him, but couldn't after that last remark. She and Sirius hadn't been trying to 'procreate further' as Snape put it, not technically at least.

"Why don't you hold your tongue before you lose it?" Rose snapped irritably. 

"Hit a nerve, did I?" Snape asked innocently.

Both Rose and Sirius turned around in their seats. "Listen you-" Rose was going to unleash her verbal wrath, but didn't when Dumbledore caught her eye. Rose turned back around and Sirius pulled Rose, it possible, closer to him.

Gryffindor won the match, 290 to 50. Rose felt sorry for McGonagall, she'd have to stop the party in Gryffindor tower.

Sirius had gone down to the field to congratulate Harry. 

"Harry! Harry!" Sirius yelled over the sea of Gryffindors. "Great job, Harry! That was the best catch I've-" Sirius was going to say "the best catch I've seen in years", but Harry either couldn't hear his godfather or ignored him, because he left the field without acknowledging his presence.

Sirius stood on the field as the mass of students returned to their common rooms. Only a handful noticed him, a few stared for a second, but went on their ways. When the crowd was gone Sirius remained. He felt Rose's small hand slip into his.

"Give it time, Sirius. Harry's trying to muddle through his emotions right now. It's hard for him." Rose said consolingly. "Let's go back to the castle, it's chilly out here."

Sirius nodded silently. He didn't know what he had expected. Maybe Harry would never be able to look at him the same way. ~_Just give it time… _~ Sirius told himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry went back to the Common Room with the team. Despite all the rapturous celebration around him, he felt cold and empty inside. Ginny noticed right away.

"Harry, is everything alright?" She asked putting her hand on his arm.

Harry enjoyed the warmth he felt ever time Ginny touched him. "I don't know. I'm so confused, I don't know what to feel or think."

Ginny didn't need any explanation. "Do you want to go? We could walk around the lake or something, that way we don't have to stay here."

Harry smiled wryly. "Sure."

Ginny and Harry didn't have any trouble slipping out of the ciaos. Most of the people were to drunk with happiness to notice two people leave the celebration. When they were outside of the castle, Harry decided it was safe to talk to Ginny.

"I'm so full of contradicting emotions towards Sirius that I don't know how to act. I don't know if I can trust him after he deceived me like that. I'm glad he's not dead and that Rose won't have to try and raise her children alone. I'm hurt that I wasn't told the truth after a while. I'm… I don't know what I am."

Ginny stopped walking and stared into Harry's green eyes. "Harry, you don't have to know how to act. It's important that you at least talk with Sirius. I'm sure he feel horrible about what he did. You don't have to return to where you two were before he er… 'died', but you shouldn't sever your relationship with him." Ginny said delicately. 

Harry ran his fingers through Ginny's flame-red hair. He loved her, but couldn't say so. Harry kissed Ginny gently on the lips. She kissed Harry passionately. Harry was pleasantly surprised and returned Ginny's kiss vigorously. Harry moved his hand down Ginny's back when he heard a drawling voice behind him.

"Oh _Come_ _ON_, Potter, Weasel. Get a **room**!" Malfoy snickered. 

"Go away Malfoy." Harry said dangerously. 

"You think I wanted to see that? I might not be able to play in the next Quidditch match cause of the emotional trauma I just went through…" Malfoy said delicately, he loved messing with Harry.

"You'd have to have emotions before you could experience emotional trauma Malfoy." Ginny spat.

"What are you doing here anyway, Malfoy?" Harry asked before Malfoy could respond to Ginny.

"I was walking. Obeying all the school rules, unlike some other people…It would be horrible if someone found out-"

"That you're a rotten little ferret, and your dad's a Death Eater? Everyone already knows that. I wouldn't be surprised in we were to find a little black mark etched into your arm too." Harry shot at him.

Malfoy drew his wand. "Densaugeo!" 

Harry just had time to yell "Furnunculus" before his teeth were too large to speak clearly. Malfoy looked on in horror as his body developed boils.

"Come on, Harry. I better take you to the hospital wing." Ginny said taking Harry by the arm, leaving Malfoy by the lake.

Malfoy followed closely behind, he needed to see Madame Pomfrey too.

Madame Pomfrey was furious when she saw the three of them walk into the Hospital Wing.

"Been dueling I suppose? Come here Potter." Madame Pomfrey fixed Harry's teeth in an instant.

Malfoy took a bit longer. Harry and Ginny tried to leave, but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let them go.

"I was asked to inform Professors Black and Dumbledore if you two have been dueling." She said once they were back to normal.

Draco and Harry protested to no prevail. 

Rose and Dumbledore came to the Hospital Wing right away. They both looked haggard at how cliché this scenario between these boys had become. 

"Miss Weasley, you may return to the common room." Dumbledore said somberly. Ginny left without a word.

"You two need to know something." Dumbledore said with an angry note in his voice.

Harry was petrified. He'd seen Rose angry, but this look was a new level of angry. He knew he'd done something more than he realized.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Next time Rose and Dumbledore deal with Harry and Draco. Rose sees if Draco is earnest about not wanting to follow Voldemort.

Please review, it only takes a few seconds.


	18. Que dijiste?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry looked upon his godmother with fear and trepidation, something he had never done before. Rose was seething with anger. Harry didn't understand why.

"Harry James Potter what the-" Rose stopped herself from swearing. "What happened out there?"

Harry looked indignant. ~_Why is she jumping on my case? I'm her godson! I'm not Malfoy._~

"Malfoy hexed me, I hexed back him before I was unable to talk." Harry said defensively.

Rose turned on Malfoy. "What's your explanation of this incident?" Rose asked testily. Dumbledore didn't say anything, but did his best to look just as angry as Rose. Anger wasn't his forte. Rose on the other hand could get a Ph.D. in that field.

"I cursed Potter because he said I had the Mark." Malfoy said in his defense. He knew that if Professor Black was truly impartial with Harry, she'd see that he had reason to hex him.

"Harry, did you do that?" Rose asked brimming with anger at this situation. Both of these young men professed to be on the same side, but they were constantly at one another's necks.

"I… er… yes." Harry said ashamedly. ~_If I act remorseful, she won't do anything._~ Harry assumed.

"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor, detention for the both of you. Harry you'll have two weeks, Draco one. I'll be writing your parents too." Rose didn't want Malfoy to get off for hexing another student.

"But Rose-"

"Professor Black, you mean." Rose said icily.

"What are you going to write _my_ parents? Wait, my parents are _dead_. Write Aunt Petunia then. I'm sure she'll be _thrilled_ to learn I'm still alive. You could write Sirius, seeing as he's alive now. Then again, I don't think he gives a rat's ass whether I'm ok or not. Wait, he did all that to catch _rat_ didn't he?" Harry spewed his anger out at Rose. Dumbledore and Malfoy had similar looks of disbelief on their faces.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor. Mister Malfoy, if I see another glint of a smile on your face, I'll take away every point that Slytherin has ever had." Malfoy didn't think Rose could see his smirk, but made every effort to make it go away.

"Listen to me Harry. If I were you, I'd try to be a little more understanding when it comes to the reason adults do things. Ever think that you'd be treated like an adult when you start acting like one? _Maybe_, just maybe Sirius had a good reason not to tell you that he was alive." Rose said trying hard not to curse Harry on the spot for pissing her off.

"Why? Hmm, let's see. Did he think lifting the _guilt_ from my shoulders would be harmful for me? Did he think that giving me something to be happy about would be detrimental to the whole moody adolescent persona? Tell me why _Professor_."

"Voldemort." Rose said simply. She wanted to give Harry every shred of reasoning for Sirius not telling Harry that he was alive. Rose held back because of the audience present. "You may go back to the Common Room. I presume that you can make it there without provoking someone to curse you, then again you may want to take a less traveled route just to be safe."

Harry left without another word. His face was full of anger.

"You can handle the rest of this, Professor Black?" Dumbledore asked. Rose nodded. Dumbledore left, leaving Malfoy and Rose in the Hospital Wing alone. (A/N: Madame Pomfrey is there, she's just not interacting with them)

Malfoy suddenly felt self-conscious and anxious. ~_Why are we here… what is she planning… why does Dumbledore know?_~ Malfoy thought panickly.

"I should go too…" Draco said eyeing the door longingly. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of Rose's wrath.

"Don't move. I need to talk to you about what we talked about on Wednesday. I want to help you; Dumbledore wants to help you. We just want to be sure that you're earnestly trying to avoid Voldemort, not help him." Rose said simply.

Malfoy's face expressed every bit of indignation he felt. ~_I can't believe they don't trust me… I guess it wouldn't make sense for a Malfoy to not want the Mark…_~ Draco reasoned.

"What should I do?" He asked naïvely. He wanted to show his dedication or lack of dedication to Voldemort.

"Well, it's rather simple. Have you heard of Legillmency?" Rose asked.

"I've heard the word… I don't know what it means though." Malfoy said truthfully.

"Legillmency is a branch of magic in which a person can break into another person's mind. Normally, it is used to extract information. I would like to use it on you to see if you're telling the truth about your father and more importantly yourself." Rose said watching Malfoy intently.

Malfoy felt a new level of indignation. "You want to 'break into' my _mind_?" Draco paused. He knew that he'd have to swallow his pride in order to be helped. "What do I have to do?"

"I want you to relax and open your mind. The less you try and stop me the quicker this will go." Rose said simply.

"Does it hurt?" Malfoy asked timidly.

"If you fight it, it might. All I need you to do sit down here expose your mind." Rose said mistily. She sounded a bit like Professor Trelawny.

Draco made himself comfortable on a chair and tried to 'expose' his mind. Rose drew her wand and took a deep breath. "Legillmens" Rose boomed. Malfoy felt as if he was being blown backward by a giant fan.

Malfoy could see an assortment of memories from his childhood, some from his early years at Hogwarts, his father beating him for not making top grades, his first time in the Forest, him playing Quidditch, his past summer, his father approaching him about Voldemort, the letter in which his father demanded him to tell about Rose and Harry, and then when he went to Rose with his problem.

Rose stopped then. She didn't need to see more. Rose tried to catch her breath.

"Need to sit…" Rose collapsed onto the nearest bed.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Malfoy asked tentatively. He didn't think his professor looking like she'd just shagged someone was healthy, especially since she hadn't.

"I'm…just…tired…it's…hard…on…a…person…to…" Rose made a vague hand gesture. Rose gave up on speaking right then. She focused on taking even breaths.

"Oh…ok." Malfoy sat silently while Rose caught her breath. After a few minutes, Rose was ready to talk.

"I saw the letter. There's just one more thing to do. I need you to take Veritaserum and answer a few questions." Rose told Malfoy.

"Why'd you make me do the Legillmency? You could have given me the Veritaserum in the get go!" Malfoy said, unable to contain his exasperation.

"It was so I could have a place to start from. I also wanted to be sure that you haven't been trained by Voldemort or your father to fight off things like that." Rose explained.

"How could I fight Veritaserum or Legillmency?" 

"It's hard to do, and it's complicated. I don't have time to go into detail about it know though. Ready to take the Veritaserum?" Rose asked, reaching into her robes.

"Yes." Malfoy said quickly.

Rose conjured a bottle of Butterbeer and put three drops of Veritaserum in it. Malfoy drank it quickly. Rose waited for a minute, then she started the questioning. Rose started with a test question.

"Are you better than Harry Potter at Quidditch?" 

"No, he's beaten me every time we've played one another." Malfoy said in an even voice.

"Do you want to serve Voldemort?" 

"No, I don't want to serve Voldemort." Rose was surprised that Malfoy said Voldemort's name.

"Why not?" This is what Rose really wanted to know.

"I hate him. He's made my father do things that he didn't want to do. He thinks that Muggles should be tortured. He gives purebloods a bad name. I don't agree with his beliefs." Malfoy said monotonously.

"Would you serve Voldemort against your will, if your father made you?"

"I would rather die. Voldemort only cares about a person's parentage. He doesn't look at their abilities. Some muggle borns are really gifted. Look at Granger, she's the cleverest witch in our year."

"Would you fight against Voldemort in any way possible?"

"I would fight against him if it meant forsaking everything I own." Malfoy said steadily.

Rose decided that she had asked enough questions. She pulled a small bottle out of her robes. It was the reverse to Veritaserum. Rose forced a few drops down Malfoy's throat. Malfoy snapped out his trance-like state. 

"Do you remember anything you said?" Rose asked.

"Some of it… did I really say that Potter is better at Qudditch than me?" Malfoy asked, slightly disgusted with himself. Rose nodded. Draco's eyes bulged to an unnatural size. "You won't tell him, will you?" He asked urgently.

"No, I won't." Rose rolled her eyes. The kid had just swore against following Voldemort, even if that meant his life and he was more concerned with his reputation as an athlete. "You've convinced me. You definitely don't want to follow Voldemort. I'll talk to Dumbledore and we'll arrange something for you during the Winter Break." Rose said reassuringly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rose was too busy on Sunday to spend any quality time with Sirius. Sirius was quite perturbed with her. If Rose wasn't buried under a stack of papers, she was helping a student. When she would take a break from those things, she'd find another task to get caught up in. After ignoring Sirius' sighs for half the day, Rose finally asked him what was bothering him.

"_Nothing_ is bothering me. I haven't done anything to be bothered by." Sirius said icily.

Rose gave Sirius and exasperated look. "I can't drop everything to baby-sit you when you're here, honey. I don't want to neglect my duties." Rose said simply. She didn't see why this was a problem.

"I know, I just thought you'd make _some_ time for me, that's all." Sirius said airily. "You seem to make time for _other_ people…"

"Like who? Students? I'm a teacher, that's what teachers do." Rose was waiting for Sirius to bring up what was really bothering him, she hated it when people beat around the bush like he was.

"Not students… people like Remus, or Severus… you have time for them." Sirius said making a concerted effort to keep his voice non-accusatory. 

"Remus and I are friends. I thought that Severus was a friend, but he's just a jerk." Rose said shortly.

"Did he do something?" Sirius said, veering from his point.

"No, he's returned to his previous ass-hood status. He was amicable for a while, but he's not anymore. It's as simple as that." Rose hoped that Sirius wouldn't venture down that avenue. 

"You and Remus, you're just friends, right?" Sirius asked, again keeping an almost nonchalant voice. 

Rose hesitated before answering. She knew that they were friends, but she wondered what would have happened if Sirius hadn't returned…

"Of course we're just friends." Rose said a bit too quickly. Rose realized she didn't say that like she should have. Sirius decided to continue with his questions.

"He told me that he was going to propose to you the day I came back." Sirius said as if he was talking about the weather.

Rose almost choked on her own saliva at Sirius' words. She didn't know that Remus wanted to propose. "I didn't know that…" Rose said quietly. Rose furrowed her brow in thought.

"Would you have said yes?" Sirius asked earnestly. Rose didn't know how this was relevant to their (her and Sirius) relationship. Now that Sirius was back, she didn't have to worry about what she would have done. Sirius decided it was necessary to repeat himself. "Would you have said yes and married Remus?"

"I don't know. Why is this so important to you? I'm not going to leave you because of something I might have done when I thought you were dead. I think I would have said yes… I would have." Rose admitted. "Did Remus tell you that he had planned on proposing?"

Sirius turned red. "Not exactly… he didn't mean to. Last weekend, when I was in Hogsmeade, I kindagothimdrunk…" Sirius hoped the 'Remus Lupin Method of Running Word Together When in a Tight Spot' would help him now. Unfortunately, Rose was a very sharp listener.

"You got him **_drunk_**? What were you thinking? **I can't believe you!** Don't you think it was hard enough for him to accept that you were all of a sudden back in my life? He doesn't need you to know that he has feelings for me! We were both going through a hard time." Rose said venomously.

"You did have feelings for him? You were going to marry him? I can't believe _you_, Rose! Grieving widows don't go and marry their late husband's best friend!" Sirius said spitefully.

"First of all, we never had plans to get married! Tonight was the **FIRST** time I heard that he was going to propose. I said I _might have_ said yes. I don't know because it didn't happen like that. He never proposed. _I was never a widow_. How long did you expect me to be a grieving widow? Until I was so consumed with depression and sadness that I could no longer function as a human being? Is that what you wanted?" Rose stood up and started to pace the room.

"I didn't jump into a relationship as you make it sound. I wasn't even looking to get involved with anyone. I was tormented by the grief of losing my husband for the second time. I needed a friend and Remus was that friend." Rose's eyes welled with tears. "I thought I was going crazy when I saw you…when you came… in my room at night. The loneliness that I felt almost killed me… I can't make you believe that Remus and I are just friends… I… I…" 

Rose tried to find the words. She didn't have to. Rose walked into Sirius. He pulled his wife close to him and stroked her head lovingly. Sirius felt like the world's biggest ass.

"Rose…I know…er…realize you're just friends with Remus. When I came back and noticed a new element to your relationship with him… I panicked. He was so enamored that I thought you knew… he even threw me back from you in the Hospital Wing. He said that I had caused you to end up there… he was right… I had to know if he…and you… I had to know what happened. I couldn't believe how close I had come to losing you… I was jealous beyond measure… I'm sorry for doubting your fidelity."

Rose didn't respond right away. She fingered the buttons on Sirius' shirt, undoing the top ones. Rose looked into the depths of Sirius' eyes. "You make it so hard to be angry with you. I hope you know that." Rose said smiling slightly.

Sirius grinned handsomely. "I know, I'm irresistible. I had to fight off a dozen muggles the other day."

"Riiiight. I'm sure they were all ones that thought you were still at large." 

"And if they weren't?" Sirius teased.

"Well… I'd have to give them some evidence to whom you belong." Rose said flirtatiously. Rose gave Sirius a love bite just bellow his collarbone.

"Hey! That hurt."

"Oh, porbacito. Estoy llorando para ti." Rose said sarcastically. Sirius didn't have a clue what Rose just said, but he loved it when she talked in Spanish. They had dinner in Rose's chamber that night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Harry showed up for Occulmency on Tuesday, he was still brooding.

"Evening, _Professor_." Harry said sardonically.

Rose didn't sink to Harry's level of loathing, she went lower.

"Legillmens!" Rose yelled without warning. Harry wasn't able to block her because he didn't expect Rose to do that.

Harry tried to close his mind, it wasn't working. He was overcome with anger. After a minute, Harry had an epiphany and grabbed his wand.

"Protego!" He managed to say. Now he was viewing Rose's memories. Harry didn't get far before Rose threw him off. Harry did see something that peaked his interest.

"What…did…you…learn?" Rose asked trying to catch her breath.

Quite a few responses ran through Harry's mind, only one of them wouldn't get him landed with more detentions. "To always be prepared, not to trust anyone." Harry said pointedly. "Not even people who say they care for you."

"If Voldemort were to attack you, he wouldn't be polite about it, Harry. You're exactly right, Harry. Trust no one, Harry." Rose said in an even voice.

"If I can't trust anyone, why am here with you? Trusting no one doesn't seem like a feasible notion." Harry asked trying to work out Rose's logic.

"Trust is a gamble. You shouldn't trust people lightly. Trust is earned, not given." 

"Is that why you trust Malfoy?" Harry spat at Rose.

"What makes you think I trust him?"

"I saw it, in your memories. You were talking to him about staying with someone for winter break."

"That isn't your business, Harry." Rose said simply. She didn't want Harry to know more than he should. "I think you've learned enough for tonight. Remember, trust no one."

Harry left. Rose decided to do something she hadn't done in a while, talk to Remus. Rose rummaged through her drawer for the green parchment.

"We need to talk" Rose said grabbing her ink and quill.

'_Hi, Rose. Haven't talked to you in while. How are you?'_

'_I'm all right. Harry's mad at me for giving him detention…for two weeks. He earned it though. What have you been up to?'_

'_Work, trying to live with Sirius, he's a difficult person. You should know all about that. I've started seeing someone._' Rose's eyes nearly fell out of her head. '_She's really nice. I met her at work, she's a Healer. Her name is Bambi Hopkins._' 

"Bambi…her name is Bambi?" Rose said aloud. "Who names their child after a 1950's cartoon character?"

'_Wow, when can I meet her?_' Rose had to meet this person, to make sure she was 'good enough' to date Remus.

'_I think I can make it there in the first weekend of December. I've been really busy. Lot's of work to do._'

"I bet you have been working. Working on children with this 'Bambi' person." Rose said nastily.

'_How is your work coming? Are you getting closer to finding a cure?_' Rose wanted to stop talking about Bambi. Apparently, she should have chosen another topic if that was her prerogative.

'_It's going great! Bambi is the best when it comes to potions. She's made improvements on the Wolfsbane potion. I'm getting closer to identifying the exact gene that was altered when I became a werewolf._' 

Rose could tell just from the writing that Remus was happy. She didn't know why him being happy with someone else made her so upset.

'_That's great. I'm so happy for you._' Rose hated lying, but she didn't think writing 'For some unknown reason, I despise the good news you gave me.' That wouldn't be right.

'_I have to grade some of these essays I have stacked up here. I'll talk to you soon. Night Remus._'

Rose didn't wait for Remus to respond. She wiped the paper clean and put it away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The notion of Rose having a reason to and actually trusting Malfoy didn't sit well with Harry. He wasn't sure if he was uncomfortable with the idea because Malfoy is his archenemy or just because he's a Malfoy.

Late on Thursday night, Harry decided to write Sirius about it, he always knew what to do.

Ginny plopped down next to Harry while he was writing. "Who're you writing?" She asked nonchalantly. 

"Sirius." Harry replied shortly.

"You're talking to him, then?"

"No, I need to ask him something about Rose." Harry stopped writing so he could talk to Ginny, not the paper.

"Why don't you ask Rose then?"

"She won't tell me. I think she might be mixed up with the Malfoys…" Harry muttered. Harry didn't care what Rose had told him, he could trust some people.

"You're putting _that_ into a letter?" Harry nodded. "You're sending that over half the country?" Harry nodded again. "Where **_anyone_** could intercept it?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh… I didn't think about that." Harry admitted.

"You should be more careful, Harry." Harry gave Ginny the 'Don't-you-start-too' look. "How are you going to talk to him?" 

"I don't know… wait, yes I do!" Harry scrambled upstairs, leaving Ginny alone and confused. Harry returned a few minutes later carrying something shiny in his hands.

"What is that?" Ginny asked.

"It's a mirror that allows me to talk to Sirius. I broke it after he… er… 'died', but I fixed it afterwards. Dumbledore suggested I do that…" Harry explained.

"Do you think it's safe to use with-" Ginny looked around the common room to see who was there. "With people around?" Ginny didn't see anyone though.

"You're the only person here and I think I can trust you to hear this." Harry said grinning.

"Let's at least go to a secluded area… just in case." Ginny said, sounding quite paranoid.

Harry rolled his eyes and followed Ginny. 

"This is better." Ginny decided.

Harry held the mirror intently in his hands. "Sirius." Harry said in a clear voice. Sirius appeared in the mirror after a minute.

"Harry! How are you? What's going on?" Sirius asked. Harry could he the excitement in Sirius' voice.

"I'm fine… I just wanted to ask you something… Does Rose have any ties with the Malfoys?" 

Sirius looked confused by the question. "No, she doesn't. Why do you ask?"

"Why do you think that?" Ginny asked.

"Oh hi Ginny." Sirius said. "Didn't see you there."

"Hello Sirius." Ginny said amicably.

Harry cleared his throat loudly. "I think Rose is involved with the Malfoys because I saw a memory of hers. She was talking to Draco about him staying somewhere. She sounded like she was helping him with something."

Sirius looked even more puzzled about that. "I know Rose. She wouldn't get involved with them unless if there was a reason. I'll bring it up next time I talk to her. What have you been up to, Harry? You played great the last game."

Harry and Sirius chatted for a while. Sirius was ecstatic that Harry was now talking to him. He had a lurking feeling that it was only because he was now viewed as the lesser of two evils.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The title of this chapter, "Que dijiste?" Means "what did you say?"

Just a note, Rose said "Oh, poor baby. I'm crying for you." To Sirius after the love bite. 

Yes, I used X-File lines in this chapter. "Trust no one" and "Bambi… her name is Bambi?"

The ass-hood is something my sister and I made up. Anyone who is an ass or cuts people off when they drive or does something deserving of the title ass is inducted into the ass hood. 

****

Review!


	19. An Unlikely Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius was true to his word and planned to talk to Rose about Malfoy on Friday. She was in the shower when he arrived. Sirius decided to surprise Rose. Sirius undressed and entered the bathroom silently. Rose was singing to herself.

"Bye bye Miss American Pie  
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry  
Good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye  
Saying this will be the day that I die…"

~_Always sings American songs._~ Sirius thought fondly. Sirius stepped into the shower and kissed Rose gently on the cheek.

"That better be you Sirius Black!" Rose said testily, she had her eyes closed because she was rinsing her hair.

"Nope, it's Dumbledore." Sirius said in a raspy voice.

Rose could tell it was Sirius, but decided to play along by reaching blindly to Sirius' chest. "Headmaster, I don't feel your beard. Don't tell me you cut it off just for me." Rose said innocently.

Sirius broke; he burst into a fit of laughter. "You win. I can't compete with that." Sirius looked at his wife appraisingly. "You're beautiful."

"I'm fat. Santa Clause would look like a light weight next to me." Rose said critically. 

"You're pregnant with twins, I'd be worried if you were as small as you were six months ago." Sirius said earnestly. Rose opened her eyes and took in every detail of Sirius' body. The way the water droplets seemed to form constellations on his skin. The curvature of his muscles and the way his stomach rippled, it looked as if it was made to wash clothes on. 

Sirius carefully placed his hand on Rose's stomach. He didn't want to press too hard.

"Feel here, honey." Rose put Sirius' hand where the babies would move. "It's Ok, you won't hurt them." Rose reassured him. It didn't take Sirius long to feel the babies.

"I felt them! I felt them!" Sirius yelled excitedly. Sirius did a happy dance. Rose smiled and turned off the water. Sirius was still dancing in the receding water when Rose stepped out of the shower.

Sirius dried off and slipped his boxers on. (**A/N:** I'm drawing out the whole Sirius is practically naked thing as long as I can darnit.)

"Hey, Honey, I talked to Harry this week." Sirius said slowly. He didn't want to say something wrong and set Rose off.

"That's great. I told you that he'd talk to you soon enough." Rose said jovially. 

"Yeah… he wanted to talk to me about you. He thinks that you're somehow involved with the Malfoys. I told his it was inconceivable." Sirius said as if the whole idea was a total joke and didn't have any bearing with him.

"I thought he'd talk to someone about that, I'm glad it was you." Rose said as she brushed her hair out.

"You are doing something with the Malfoys?" Sirius asked keeping his voice even.

"You make it sound like I'm performing sex acts for them or something. I'm helping Draco because his father might force him to take the Mark. Draco doesn't want to, he said he'd rather die than serve Voldemort." Rose said quickly.

"Are you sure he meant it? He is a Malfoy…" Sirius said uncertainly.

"And you're a Black. That didn't stop you from not serving Voldemort. I thought that you would understand where he's coming from. Most people were shocked when you ended up in Gryffindor, much more when you weren't a Voldemort supporter." Rose said causing Sirius to feel ashamed for his presumptions about Draco.

"You're right… it's just that I didn't want you to accidentally get mixed up with someone who could betray you… How do you know he's telling the truth?" Sirius asked, pushing his luck a bit further.

"I used Legillmency and Veritaserum on him. Under Legillmency, I saw the letter in which Lucius demanded that he divulge information about Harry and me. Then when I used Veritaserum, he told me that he hated Voldemort." Rose said simply.

"How did you know that he didn't want to follow Voldemort, did you pole the Slytherins or something?" Sirius asked thoughtfully. 

"He came to me a few weeks ago… He really beat around the bush in telling me, but he did. You're not going to tell Harry about him, are you? I intend on telling Harry, when I have to. I don't think he, or anyone else should know before it's necessary." Rose said some what urgently.

"Don't worry. I'll risk falling out of favor with Harry to accommodate you, my love." Sirius said pulling his pants on.

"I knew I could count on you. Harry does need to grow up. He's gotten use to throwing a fit and having people dropping everything to meet his every want and whim." Rose said critically.

Sirius put his hand on Rose's forehead and tugged at her ears. "What are you doing?" Rose asked.

"Just making sure you're not really Snape, that's who you sound like." Sirius said smirking.

"If I was him, do you honestly think I'd let you into the shower with me? Or let you stay there? I don't think he swings that way." Rose smiled evilly. "I'm not sure if he _does_ swing. Speaking of swinging, have you met Remus' girlfriend, Bambi?"

Sirius' smile disappeared. "I've met her."

"Don't you like her? Oh God, she's a bimbo, isn't she?" Rose asked melodramatically.

"No… I don't know. Something about her doesn't sit right with me. Maybe it's her name or the fact that she calls Remus 'Remy.' She's really nice though. Remus really likes her. I guess she's alright, if she makes him happy." Sirius said uncertainly. Sirius had his reservations about Bambi because he didn't know her at all and he didn't know anyone who knew her either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Friday night, Harry and Draco had detention together. Rose couldn't think of anything she needed for them to do, so she told Hagrid he had two helpers for whatever work he was doing that night. Harry didn't mind at all, but Malfoy threw a conniption fit when he found out.

"We have to work with that _oaf_?" he said loudly. Unfortunately, he was out of earshot of all the teachers. Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy verbally torment Hagrid.

"You better be nice, Malfoy or-"

"Or what, you'll run to Professor Black? Right, last time you did that it did you a world of good, didn't it Potter?" Malfoy taunted. Harry decided not to get into an argument with Malfoy right then, he'd have to spend the whole evening with him.

Harry could have sworn that time moved faster that evening. At 9, he headed to the Entrance Hall to meet Hagrid and Malfoy. Hagrid was ecstatic to have Harry, he had reservations about Malfoy's ability to work at anything other than getting people in trouble.

"Right. Now that we're here, on to the task fer t'night. We're goin' 'nta the for'st fer… well yeh'll see." Hagrid said cheerily. Harry was worried. Hagrid's joy about an animal always increased with the animal's ability to cause bodily harm.

Malfoy and Harry had their wands at hand, just in case. Harry could see the fear on Malfoy's pale face. Hagrid led them into the forest and hadn't told them what they were there for.

"Hagrid… what exactly are we doing?" Harry asked nervously, he vividly remembered his last excursion into the forest and didn't want to relive it.

"Er… remember Gwap?" Harry nodded apprehensively. "Remember how I mentioned findin' 'im a mate…" Harry nodded again, he knew what was coming next. "I did. And… er… they 'ave a li'l tike. We're here to find him an' get 'im so I can feed 'im prop'ly." Hagrid said importantly.

"What's Gwap?" Malfoy asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Oh, he's a little friend of ours. I don't think you'll have any trouble talking with him, he's a lot like your friends." Harry said smirking. Malfoy couldn't see Harry's smirk and thought he was being serious. 

"Oh, good." Malfoy said complacently. He assumed Harry was referring to an elitist that lived in the forest. (**A/N:** I know, it wasn't a logical train of thought)

It didn't take them long to find Gwap; they headed to the area where there weren't a lot of animals in the forest. Gwap was thrilled to see Hagrid.

"Haggar!" Gwap yelled excitedly. Malfoy looked as if someone had told him that Jiffy Pop was a myth, his jaw dropped and his eyes started to water. 

"Wha- what is _that_?" He managed.

"Put your wand away, Malfoy! It won't help you here!" Harry hissed.

It took them a while to subdue Gwap and find his baby (if you could classify a 3 foot tall a baby). 

Once they had Brapt (As Gwap called him), they returned to Hagrid's cabin. Malfoy was proud that he had apprehended a giant without the use of magic. Though, he wouldn't tell Hagrid or Harry that. Harry was worried about what Hagrid was going to do with Brapt.

"Hagrid, do you need us for anything else tonight?" Harry asked after they were within the safety of Hagrid's cabin. 

"Er… yeah we'll be feedin' 'im." Hagrid said nervously, he didn't know what or how to feed a baby giant. 

"How are we going to do that?" Malfoy asked, his excitement getting the better of him.

Harry gawked at Malfoy, as did Hagrid. They'd expect Hermione or Ron to ask that. This was Malfoy, where's the rude remark?

Harry and Malfoy didn't get back to the castle until five in the morning. They stayed that long because Hagrid had figured out that giants like to drink firewhiskey instead of milk. Harry and Malfoy had sampled some of course…to …er…make sure it was 'safe' for consumption…

Malfoy and Harry were laughing up a storm when they reached the castle. 

"Did you see how… what's his name… Brapt… burped after we fed him? That was _so_ cute!" Malfoy laughed hysterically.

Harry snorted in laughter. "You said cute!" Harry stumbled on the doorsill.

"Man, you're hammered!" Malfoy giggled. "You can't go to the common room like that!"

"You're a bit inebriated too… what should we do… if we're caught there won't be any house points left and Hufflepuff will win. I'd never live that down." Harry said giggling. "We should go the Requeerment Room."

"What's 'requeerment'? Don't you mean requir- requirement? Yeah, that's it, the room of requirement. We need to go there." Malfoy said profoundly.

"Let's go." Harry grabbed the shoulder of Malfoy's robes. "This way." Harry was headed for the room that was used for Divination after Trelawney was on hiatus the previous year.

"This isn't it. This is class room… it's this way." Malfoy pulled Harry in another direction, to the Great Hall.

"That's not it either… We better get there quick, I don't feel good." Harry said turning a shade of green. They found their way and by some miracle they didn't run into any early risers while en route.

The room met the needs of their predicament. They slept the morning away. Harry went up to the Gryffindor common room around noon. Ginny was waiting expectantly for him, she had all the nuances of Mrs. Weasley.

Her eyes narrowed when they fell on Harry. "Where were you? Hagrid said that you were done around five! Did you get lost on your way back?" Ginny examined Harry at a distance. "You look like hell, what happened?"

Harry glanced around the room nervously. "I… I was detained." He lied. "I had to… help someone…"

"With what? Who was up that early that required assistance?" Ginny snapped.

"Malfoy… he had too much firewhiskey at Hagrid's and he was kinda drunk…" Harry decided not to include that he was just as hammered as Malfoy.

Ginny's eyes narrowed a bit more. ~_If she's not careful, she'll be glaring at me with her eyes shut…_~ Harry thought, holding back a snort of laughter.

"Why did he have firewhiskey at Hagrid's?" Ginny asked skeptically.

Harry went into an explanation, a truthful one, one might add, about what they did that night and why they…er Malfoy (Harry had to amend that part of the tale) had firewhiskey. Ginny was swept up with Harry's kindness and good nature and didn't catch Harry's lie.

"That was really nice of you." Ginny said kissing Harry on the cheek. "Helping that jerk, he could have gotten Hagrid fired, you know." Harry felt a pang of guilt; _he_ could have gotten Hagrid fired.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* (Much prettier in my opinion)

On Sunday, Harry met up with Sirius in the Owlery. 

"Did you talk to her?" Harry asked, he didn't look Sirius in the eyes, he didn't want to confess what he did the previous night.

"I did and I know what she's doing. I can't tell you, but you have to believe me, she isn't doing anything bad…she's helping him." Sirius said evasively. 

"Helping Malfoy? Hmm." Harry didn't want to talk about Malfoy right then.

"Speaking of Malfoy, how'd your detention go?" Sirius asked, he knew that Harry had been loathing that all week.

Harry's ears turned red. "It…was fine." Sirius stared hard at Harry, that wasn't a normal response for Harry.

"Everything go alright? What did you do?" He asked innocently.

Harry folded; he couldn't bear the guilt. "We got drunk… don't tell Rose, she'll kill me. We were working with Firewhiskey and had some, then some more. Before we knew it, we were as drunk as… I don't know what." Harry gulped nervously, he'd never given Sirius a reason to be angry with him before and wasn't sure if this would be his first time.

Sirius started to laugh. It started at a low rumble then the owlrey erupted with a loud unrelenting snigger. Harry was taken aback by his godfather's response.

"You're not angry?" Harry asked uncertainly. 

Sirius was almost shaking with laughter now. "I'm not angry, Harry. I think it's quite funny actually. It would be like James and Snape getting together for a few drinks after work. Though, I wouldn't recommend drinking on school grounds, that could get nasty."

"You're not going to tell Rose, are you?" Harry asked uneasily. 

"Are you kidding, she'd have my head. I don't know why, but it would be my fault by the time we'd finish arguing. Don't get me wrong, Rose is brilliant and I love her more than anything, but she has a nasty temper. Nasty and very volatile. I'll keep that bit of information to myself." Sirius said pantomiming putting something in his pocket and buttoning it shut.

"Thanks, I think she'd have my head and put it on display for that." Harry chortled. "And, please don't tell Ginny… I sorta smudged the truth on that too… I don't want her to know, she'd get mad…"

Sirius chuckled. "I won't lie to her. If I've learned one thing, it's to be up front with the people you love. I know it can cause a person unintended hurt…" Sirius' voiced trailed off. "Lying is never a good thing."

"You're lying to Rose for me, though." Harry pointed out.

"I'm just not telling her. I don't think she'll inquire about your drinking habits, so I won't be lying to her at all." Sirius explained.

"I'll have to think about that…"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Malfoy and Harry had an unspoken armistice after that day. They both knew they weren't friends, but they could get along. Malfoy was slightly paranoid that Harry would rat him out and count on his good standing with Dumbledore to get off. Harry thought that Malfoy would tell everyone about their drinking escapade and get him in trouble. Both boys didn't do that the other thought they would. Harry did spill the beans, rather Rose did.

During Occulmency, Rose did as she usually did and saw some of his memories. Rose was growing accustom to seeing Harry in class, talking with Ron and Hermione, and occasionally kissing Ginny. Rose never expected to see Harry traipsing around with Malfoy drunk as two sailors on shore leave after a six-month tour of duty.

Once Harry threw Rose off, he knew he had been caught. Rose's lips were pursed dangerously tight and she looked as if she was about to explode with anger.

"I know that you are a young man, and at times young men like to try out new things, but WHAT THE _HELL_ WERE YOU THINKING? DRINIKING WHILE SERVING DETENTION! How did you two get firewhiskey anyway? Did Hagrid give it to you?" Rose glared at Harry waiting for a full explanation.

Harry couldn't help but answer sarcastically…

"I was thinking, 'Gee, this would be a good way to do something that would piss Rose off during Occulmency and get my in trouble again, since I haven't been properly yelled at in a whole week.'" Harry decided to answer the other questions without sarcasm, he didn't want to push Rose off the edge. "Hagrid didn't give us the firewhiskey to drink-"

"What, was it for, another item to add to the list of things you've gotten away with at school?" Rose asked angrily, she knew that wasn't why.

"No, Hagrid had us feed it to… er… a baby giant… Malfoy and I drank some… er… a lot while he wasn't watching." Harry didn't bother exaggerating the truth, he knew that Rose could extract that if she sensed a lie.

Rose mulled this information over for a few minutes. Harry wondered if his own godmother would get him expelled, judging by her recent behavior, he wouldn't doubt it. 

Harry watched Rose apprehensively as she spoke. "I can't say I'm happy with your actions, but I can't really do anything to reprimand you because it would interfere with too many things… but I don't want to ever do that _again_!" Rose said dangerously. 

Rose's face changed from malignant to rapturous and holding back peals of laughter. "You really were funny… I can remember the first time I got drunk… it wasn't at school, but er… I wasn't that much older than you are…" Rose wasn't technically lying, she got drunk for the first time in Hogsmeade during a trip there. She was hemming the reality in which the events occurred.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

When Rose woke up on Wednesday, she didn't remember that it was her birthday. She didn't realize it was her birthday until Sirius showed up in her room with flowers, chocolate, and a sexy smile.

"Happy Birthday, honey." He said to Rose as she tiredly washed her face. 

Rose grinned at Sirius. "You know what could make it happier?" Rose said suggestively. 

"I have a few ideas…" Sirius said abandoning the chocolate and flowers and unbuttoning the back of Rose's robe. Sirius kissed Rose on the nape of her neck. Rose's stomach lurched.

"Not that…" Rose put her hand on her neck. She didn't want Sirius to do what Snape had tried. 

When Rose made it down to breakfast, she was greeted by a few 'Happy Birthdays' from students. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny gave Rose a card and a small present each. Rose figured that the gifts were really from Hermione and Ginny, Harry and Ron didn't have the capacity to remember birthdays. Hermione got Rose a book for naming twins. Ginny got Rose a hat and scarf that she had knitted, she was actually quite skilled. Harry got Rose a scrapbook for her pregnancy. Ron gave Rose an assortment of candies from Mrs. Weasley.

Rose was slightly depressed that the morning was the only time she'd have to spend with Sirius that day because Rose and Dumbledore had a meeting that week about Malfoy that evening. 

"Would Lucius believe that?" Rose asked after Dumbledore told her his plan for helping Malfoy.

"If I know Lucius like I do, telling him that there's a Minister of Magic internship, he'll jump all over that." Dumbledore said assuredly. "Even if the Minister is Arthur." Dumbledore smiled, he had worked hard to get Mr. Weasley in the office.

"Draco will stay at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and I?" Rose checked.

"Yes, do you think that he and Harry can go that long without killing one another?" Dumbledore asked.

Rose tried not to smirk. "I think they can handle it. Two things will stop them from blowing one another to smithereens. One, They'll have to deal with me if they do and the second is, they'll be in trouble with the Ministry if they lay one hand on their wands." Rose chuckled. "I'll tell Malfoy next week, I think."

"That'll be good. I think we could use Mr. Malfoy as an operative… he could do wonders for our side." Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"I thought that the Order didn't take members under age or that are in school, Draco is both." Rose said urgently.

"Yes, well, circumstances are different with him…" Dumbledore said ambiguously. 

"Why, because he'd sit prettier in Voldemort's pocket? Sir, that would not be a wise move. At least wait until he's of age…" Rose pleaded.

"Voldemort wouldn't wait." Dumbledore said simply.

"You're not him! You have scruples and live by those morals! You'd throw your ethics out the window just for a bit of information?" Rose said incredulously.

"I didn't say I would, it's something I'm considering. Thank you for coming here to talk to me on your birthday, Professor. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." Dumbledore said, indicating that the conversation was over.

Rose stormed out. She decided that desperate times called for desperate measure. Rose went down to the dungeon.

"Severus, are you there? I need to talk to you." Rose asked through the door.

"Yes, come in." Severus called disdainfully. Rose walked in briskly and sat in a rather seedy chair. "What do you need, Professor?" Snape said in a business like tone.

"How old were you when you took the Mark?" Rose didn't bother beating around the bush, she didn't pretend like this was a social visit.

Severus looked taken aback at the nature of her question, but answered. "I was 16." He said shortly.

"Why did you do it?" Rose asked inquisitively. 

Severus' lip curled at this question, but he answered. "Everyone I knew had taken it, most my family members wanted me to. I wanted them to be proud of me for once…" Severus' voice trailed off. Rose's eyes were brimming with tears.

"When did you… come over to our side?" Rose asked, she knew that it had to be sometime before their 7th year.

"It was after… after I heard that the Dark Lord tried to force you to take the Mark… I realized that the ideals that the Dark Lord flaunted were thrown aside for a bit of power. I went to Dumbledore that week and confessed to him what I did." Severus said as if he'd been waiting the last twenty years to tell someone that.

"Did you start to spy right away?" Rose asked awestruck. 

"Yes." Snape said with a bitter note in his voice.

"He didn't wait until you were of age? Did he give you a choice about doing it?"

Severus laughed coldly. "'Til I was of age? Are you kidding? You think he'd let me bugger of on my own when I'd confessed to swearing allegiance to the Dark Lord? Honestly, you are naïve. Dumbledore gave me these options: either become a spy for him, or spend time in Azkaban. He didn't say that outright, but it was obvious that was what he was after."

Rose couldn't believe what he was saying. "I…I… never knew. I hadn't thought about how… or why you were spying for us…" Rose couldn't find her voice.

"You're welcome." Snape said simply. "Why are you so curious about that?" Snaped asked raising his brow.

Under normal circumstances Rose wouldn't have told him, but she thought it would be imprudent not to tell him after he'd shared so much with her.

"Draco Malfoy thinks that Lucius will force him to take the Mark and he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to serve Voldemort, he'd rather die that swear allegiance to him." Rose said fervently. 

"And you want to 'save' him?" Rose nodded. Severus didn't respond to that. "I should get on with the grading." Rose stood up and straightened her robes. "Happy Birthday, Rose." Severus said before Rose left.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." Rose went to her chamber feeling rather pensive.

~_I can't believe that Severus did that at the age of 16. I wonder if Dumbledore would have done that to me if I had taken the Mark… I hope he doesn't force Draco to do that. It would forfeit his life. I don't think he'd die, he wouldn't be able to have a normal life though. He couldn't get married when he wanted or even fall in love without thinking about the ramifications to his work… I wonder how Remus' work is going… I really want to meet this Bambi. Just to make sure she's not toying around with Remus. I want to know he'll be happy with her, he doesn't need anymore heartbreak…_~

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Yea! end of the chapter!!! I meant to update sooner, but I had a busy week. I added that last bit of Rose thinking just to squash any Remus/Rose thoughts. She doesn't/isn't going to get together with him. I received enough reviews telling me not to that I realized I made it sound like that was a possibility. And it may seem that I'm adding a lot of Sirius/Rose touchy-feely lovish scenes, I am, but there's a reason, besides my own uncontrollable desire to imagine Sirius… well… I think you get it. There is a plot reason for it, you'll see why later. 


	20. UnMudding the Waters

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose. I know I've been representing Dumbledore a little different than how most people see him. I'm writing him how I see him. There is NO Rose/Snape thing, Gemini! I put that last bit in there to re-establish their friendship. If you refer to the title of the last chapter, it'd explain that. I'm sorry if I was unclear in my writing; I'll try to work on that. J .

Thank you to my reviewers!!!!!! Your input has given me a mole of encouragement. 

Harry decided to take Sirius' advice and he came clean with Ginny on Thursday. Harry figured that he should tell her in a quite intimate setting, like the locker room after Quidditch practice. 

"Ginny, wait here with me. There's something I need to tell you…" Harry sat down next to Ginny on a bench and held her hand tenderly. He proceeded to tell her what really happened the previous Friday. Ginny didn't take the news well. 

"You _lied_ to me?" Ginny asked disgustedly, ripping her hand out of Harry's and scooting away from him. "I can't believe that you'd do that… I didn't even question the validity of your statement…" 

"The only part that wasn't true was the part about me… I didn't want you to get mad at me-"

"You thought that lying would make me happy?" Ginny shot at Harry.

"I'm sorry, I honestly am. I wasn't thinking clearly… I had a massive hangover… and a headache." Harry got a funny look on his face as he remembered how that felt, then he snapped out of it. "Sometimes people do things and they don't understand why later. I don't know why I felt compelled to lie to you; I regretted it once I said it. I love you Ginny… Don't let my mistake plunder our relationship." Harry couldn't believe it; he finally had told her that he loved her.

Ginny was contemplative for a minute. "You love me?" She finally managed. Harry nodded apprehensively. ~_What if she doesn't love me? Oh God, I've just made an ass out of myself…_~ Harry thought reproachfully.

"I love you too." Ginny said earnestly. Harry could feel his lungs working again and smiled weakly. "Promise me that you can be up front with me next time something or anything happens. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything." Ginny said sweetly. She gazed deeply into Harry's green eyes.

"Harry, Ginny? Aren't you two coming?" Ron asked poking his head into the locker-room. Ginny glared malevolently at her older brother.

"Yes, we're coming, _Ronny_." Ginny said edgily, she only called him Ronny when she was particularly angry with him or wanted to embarrass him. Ginny and Harry exchanged a 'what can we do?' look and followed Ron out of the locker-room and into the castle. There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Ron wasn't sure what he had interrupted, but he was tired of doing so. 

Harry decided it was time to break the silence. "So… where's Hermione?" It was odd to see Ron without Hermione nearby.

"She's in the library, looking something up." Ron replied shortly.

"Honestly, what else would she be doing there, do you think we're doltish?" Ginny snapped irritably. 

"She could be doing something else." Harry said quickly, he didn't want Ginny and Ron to have a go at it. "Do you want to play chess?" Harry asked hopefully. 

"Sure," Ron said dully.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose called Malfoy into her office that night to tell him what was going to happen, she didn't want to wait a whole week to tell him. Rose had asked him to come under the pretense of determining whether he deserved more detentions or not. Malfoy had the insight to realize that she had another reason to talk to him. Around 8, Malfoy made it to Rose's office.

"Professor Black?" He called cautiously; he'd learned long ago never to barge into on a married person.

"Come in, Mr. Malfoy." Rose said from her desk. Draco went into the Defense Against the Dark Art's office.

"I have a feeling that I'm not here to talk about my detentions…" Malfoy drawled. 

"How utterly perceptive of you." Rose said coolly. She smiled wicked. "I didn't think that telling you to come to my office so 'we could go over how we're going to help you avoid your father over the winter break' would be prudent in front of a bunch of Slytherins." 

"So you've come up with a plan then?" Draco asked excitedly.

"Yes, you'll be staying with me over the break. You're to tell your father that you are interning for the Minister of Magic and this is the only time you'd have an opportunity to do so. Tell him that you'll be too busy to visit and one stipulation for the internship is no parental contact. Be sure to add that you beat Harry out for this, that'll make him happy." When Rose finished telling Draco this, she sat back in her chair.

"I'll be staying with you? Does that mean that Harry will be there?" Malfoy asked in the most disdainful voice that he could muster to hide his excitement.

"Yes, and there won't be _any_ firewhiskey for either of you while you're under my roof." Rose said dangerously.

Malfoy's jaw dropped in indignation. "Potter told you about that? I bet he was trying to get me expelled." 

Rose suddenly realized she'd gotten herself in a bind there. On one hand, she could tell Malfoy that she found that out via legilmancy, but then he'd know that Harry was learning that. On the other hand, she could say that Harry let it slip, thereby compromising Harry and Draco's new friendship. Rose didn't speak right away, instead she made herself 'occupied' by pretending like one of her babies was kicking especially hard.

"He didn't exactly tell me… it was an accident… er… I guessed by his behavior…" Rose figured that was partially true.

"Are we in trouble?" Malfoy asked. He was starting to think that Rose had been serious earlier.

"You should be, but you're not. I know that disciplining you and Harry would lead to Hagrid getting in trouble too. I don't want that. Any more drinking escapades will result in severe disciplinary actions." Rose said somberly.

"Yes, Ma'am." Malfoy actually sounded grateful. "Will I be at your house for the whole break?"

"You may stay with the Weasleys for a period." Rose said nonchalantly. 

"Oh… so I won't see my parents at all?"

"No, I thought that's what you wanted." Rose said furrowing her brow slightly.

"It is, I guess the reality never sunk in, the meaning of not seeing them at Christmas…"

Rose smiled sympathetically; she knew the twang of separation too well. "You won't be alone at least." Rose said consolingly. 

"Yeah, and I won't get anything burnt into my arm," Malfoy said bitterly. "Night Professor, I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Malfoy returned to the Slytherin Common room.

The next morning, Malfoy confronted Harry about what Rose let slip. He had his chance during Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Hey Potter!" Malfoy hissed so only Harry could hear. Harry cocked his head to hear better. "Thanks a bunch for running to Professor Black and blabbing about last Friday." Draco whispered harshly.

"I didn't run to tell her!" Harry whispered defensively. "I…er…let it slip." Harry couldn't believe that Rose had told Malfoy… this could make things sticky.

"How could you _accidentally_ tell someone, especially a professor, something like that? You're not _that_ thick are you, Potter?" Malfoy already knew that Harry was Rose's godson, but he knew that Harry didn't know he knew. "What did you pass her in the hall and say, 'Morning Professor. How are you? I'm fine, I just got drunk off my ass with Draco Malfoy last night.' I can't believe I thought you wouldn't tell. I didn't tell anyone."

Harry could detect a hurt note in Malfoy's voice. "She's my godmother." Harry said quickly, he didn't want Malfoy to think that he was friendly with professors for kicks and giggles. "It was an accident… and she sorta guessed what happened, she isn't stupid, Malfoy. She has ways of figuring things out…" Harry didn't dare tell Malfoy about his Occulmency lessons.

Ron and Hermione were taking notice to Harry and Malfoy's conversation. 

"No one invited you here, Malfoy." Ron said viciously. Draco stalked off without a rebuttal. Ron eyed Malfoy suspiciously. "What was that about, Harry?"

"Er…nothing, we were just talking." Harry said plainly.

"Since when have you and Malfoy been on talking terms?" Hermione scoffed.

"He's not that bad of a person to talk to…" Harry said sincerely. Hermione and Ron looked at Harry as if he were spitting up slugs and enjoying it.

"We're talking about the same Malfoy right? Pale, pointy face, talks with a drawl, freakishly blonde hair, his father is a Death Eater, hates the three of us with a loathing only matched by Snape…" Ron looked at Harry waiting to him to burst into insane laughter and say he was joking.

"Yes, it's the same person, maybe you should work on looking past your own prejudices and seeing a person." Harry said coolly. Ron's mouth gaped open. Hermione looked as if she agreed with Harry, maybe not about Malfoy, but he had a valid point. They didn't pursue the subject further right then.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose was asleep on the couch when Harry stormed into her office.

"Rose! I cannot believe-" Harry stopped and looked around. ~_Oh, she isn't here… I could look around._~ Harry tentatively poked around Rose's office to make sure she wasn't there. Harry noticed that the door to Rose's chambers was cracked open. ~_I guess I could go in and see if she's there…_~ Harry peered inside and saw Rose asleep on the couch. 

"Rose…" Harry called loudly. Rose stirred and opened her eyes. She sat up abruptly, she didn't remember falling asleep.

Rose yawned loudly, "Afternoon Harry." Rose said sleepily. "Can I help you with something?"

Harry hesitated, then he regained the acidity in his voice, "Why did you tell Malfoy that you know that we got drunk? He was asking questions today, I had to tap dance around the truth just to get him off my case!" Harry's voice was close to a yell without realizing it.

"Why are you yelling at your godmother?" Sirius said from the doorway. The anger that was on Harry's face was quickly replaced by repentant fear.

"He wasn't yelling at me, Sirius." Rose said quickly. "I messed up and I told Malfoy that he and Harry wouldn't have anymore drinking escapades…" Rose looked at Sirius meaningfully. Rose realized that she needed to talk to Harry and Malfoy together about the plans for winter break.

Rose buried her head in her hands. Harry looked from Rose to Sirius trying to ascertain the situation. 

"Harry, Rose and I will explain all of this to you, just not right now." Sirius said paternally. Harry wanted to protest, but he didn't think that Rose could use anymore stress judging by her looks right then. 

"Alright, I'll talk to you later then…" Harry said dully. He returned to the common room. 

Sirius went straight to Rose's side and pulled her close. "It's OK, Rose." Sirius rubbed Rose's back lovingly. "It'll be OK."

Rose looked up bleakly. "I almost ruined so much with a few words… We should talk to Harry and Draco tomorrow…" Sirius nodded grimly. 

The next morning, Rose sent an owl to Draco requesting him to come to her office at 5 that evening. Rose went to Harry and asked him to get there at five also. Rose hoped she could settle this without loosing her mind.

Harry was slightly quizzical as to why his godmother made an appointment with him, but agreed to go. Harry spent the day preparing for and having Quidditch practice. He and Ron were on talking terms again. Hermione and Ginny had forced them to talk. Right before Harry was going to leave for the Quidditch pitch, Hermione stopped him.

"Harry, I wanted to apologize for my reaction to you and Malfoy… it was really narrow-minded of me. It's just odd for me to imagine him being any different than he is in class… or the amazing bouncing ferret." Hermione smirked, as did Harry. Anything that pertained to ferrets had caused countless smirks through the past two years.

"I understand… I would have acted the same if you or Ron had befriended him… I gotta go to practice, the captain can't be late." Harry smiled weakly and left for the pitch.

Rose spent the whole day with Sirius, she knew she had papers to grade, but she just wanted to be in Sirius' arms and let her problems melt away. Rose got caught up on Sirius' week. Sirius said that Peter was still in custody. Rose was glad, but didn't think it was fair for Peter to be let off without any punishment. Rose secretly hoped she'd stumble across him one day and be able to administer that punishment.

Rose asked how Remus was, she hadn't talked to her friend in a while. 

"He's spending escalating amounts of time with Bambi." Sirius laughed shortly. 

"What's so funny?" Rose asked, peering into Sirius' face.

"Nothing, she's young. I thought she was at least 30 or something. She's only 25. I think he's robbing the crib, wouldn't you say?" Rose giggled at the thought.

"We should mention that when he was in his 2nd year, she was born. And when he graduated, she was only 7. Though, I'm sure he's perfectly capable of doing math on his own." Rose smiled briefly and caressed Sirius on his thigh.

"Oh, come on. That's not fair." Sirius said jokingly.

"What?"

"You know that… we can't… You're tempting me! That's not particularly hard to do right now either." Sirius said laughing oddly, the way he always laughed when he was aroused. 

Rose kissed him on the cheek. "If it helps, you could go take a cold shower." Rose teased. 

"Riight, I'll give you a cold shower." Sirius dipped Rose into a passionate kiss.

Harry and Draco coughed loudly at the door. Draco blushed and stared at the ground. 

"Don't worry, mate, they do that all the time." Harry reassured him.

Rose scrambled to her feet and looked at a watch.

"Wow, it's five already… Let's go into my office and we can talk there." Rose noticed that Draco was looking at Sirius strangely. "Oh, Sirius, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is my husband, Sirius Black."

Sirius extended his hand, "Nice to meet you, Draco." Sirius did as Rose requested and pushed the fact that this was Lucius Malfoy's son out of his head.

"Pleasure's mine, Mr. Black." Draco said cordially. 

When they were all seated in Rose's office, Rose began with her agenda.

"The two of you have had a number of misunderstandings this week and I'm afraid that they are all my doing." Rose started. Harry and Draco exchanged quizzical looks, it wasn't often a teacher professed to be the genesis of a problem. "The first thing I want to get out of the way, Harry, is that Draco will be staying with us over winter break. Draco, you need to know that I tutor Harry in a field that gives me access to his thoughts. At times, I'll see memories of his that he'd rather no one see. Does this explain anything to you two?" Rose wanted to see if they could draw their own conclusions from the information she gave them.

Harry and Draco sat musing for a minute. "So, you mentioned drinking when you were talking to Draco about staying with us for break?" Harry clarified. Rose nodded. Sirius was seated to Rose's right; he didn't say anything. He just held Rose's hand and observed Draco. He wanted to drink in any details he could ascertain from this encounter with the young man.

"You actually 'saw' Harry and I drunk? That's how he 'accidentally' told you?" Draco said trying to unmuddy the waters a bit. Rose nodded again. Draco turned to Harry. "So, you didn't go and tell the whole school?" He asked unbelievingly. 

"No… I did tell Ginny. She caught me on my way back to the common room…" Harry said truthfully. Draco thought about that for a second and seemed to accept it because he didn't protest any further.

"You're going to be with us for Christmas, then?" Harry asked smiling a bit.

"Yeah…" Draco sounded a bit gloomy about the prospect.

"You'll love it. Mrs. Weasley, that's Ron's mom, makes the BEST food ever. It's always fun to spend Christmas with Fred and George; they're hilarious. Ron is unbeatable at chess, but it's still fun to play him." Harry was getting excited, he hadn't thought about _why_ Draco was staying with them.

"Yeah… it'll be great." Draco said unenthusiastically. He was depressed, but knew he'd get over it.

Rose decided to cut into Harry's rapturous thought before he was carried away. "Harry, it would be best if you didn't tell Hermione, Ron, or Ginny until much later. Draco staying with us is a secret, as in it shouldn't be broadcast through the school. You two have to act as if there isn't anything going on." Rose said firmly. Harry and Draco nodded. "You two can scoot off now, I have to grade papers. I think you both have essays to write for a certain class." Rose said referring to the essay she had assigned about the Dark Mark, Snape's sketched forearm came in handy.

They both nodded and scooted off. Harry and Draco walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Where exactly am I staying?" Draco asked quietly.

"Oh, I don't know if I can say… It's in London…" Harry knew he couldn't tell Draco where Grimmauld Place was because of the Fidelius Charm.

"Okay…" Draco wasn't sure why Harry was being so evasive about the whereabouts of the house, but didn't pursue the subject.

"Why are you staying with us?" Harry couldn't resist asking the question that had been burning inside of him.

"My father…" 

Draco had used the phrase "my father" many times, but never with a tone of desperation and loathing.

"My father wants me to…" Draco couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I get it." Harry said simply. "You don't have to explain anymore." Harry decided to spare Draco the humiliation of confessing exactly what his father was. "You know that we play each other in the next Quidditch match." Harry said smirking.

"Are you ready to be beat like an squib in a duel?" Malfoy retorted. "Slytherin is hot this year." He bragged.

"Yeah, hot like a snowflake." Harry laughed. "Gryffindor has a great team, as usual." Harry said pompously. He didn't mind blowing Gryffindor's horn.

Harry and Draco reached where the pathway divided to their separate houses. "See you later, Potter." Draco said heading down to the dungeons. 

"Later, Malfoy." Harry went up to Gryffindor Tower. Ron and Hermione were having a row about something. Ginny was sitting near the fighting couple watching with great amusement. Harry sat down next to Ginny. "What's it about this time, the consistency of squirrel droppings in the Forbidden Forest?" Harry whispered.

Ginny smiled. "Close, they're arguing because Hermione keeps writing Viktor Krum." Ginny whispered back.

"Oh…" Harry nodded knowingly, he'd seen Ron's jealousy at its worse. "This should be good." Harry and Ginny sat back and watched them go at it. Finally, they each stormed off to their dorm rooms.

"I suppose we should try and make peace between them…" Ginny said heading up to the dorm.

Harry had it easy, he just had to go and agree with Ron and convince him to talk to Hermione about it and reach some compromise. Ron wasn't really angry, he hated sharing Hermione's affection with anyone.

By Monday, Ron and Hermione had sorted everything out. Which was good for Harry and Ginny. Harry groaned when he realized that they had double Potions that day, it wasn't because he'd have to see Malfoy and be in a room with Snape that he loathed going. It was because he'd have to ignore Malfoy and be in the room with Snape that he loathed it.

Much to Harry's dismay, the class went well. Snape wasn't in a lethal mood that day and Malfoy sat on the far end of the room from Harry. 

That evening, Snape decided to pay Rose a social visit. He had been sending her potions with a house elf, but decided to deliver it himself. Snape couldn't knock on the door because he had two cups in his hand, not to mention a bottle of Firewhiskey.

"Rose, are you here?" He asked the dark.

"I'm here." Rose said looking up from her work. Rose turned on a few more lights, she hadn't realized how dim the room was. "Delivery service. You haven't brought me my potion in person since… last month." Rose said yawning.

"I haven't wanted to give Sirius cause to come after me as he promised to" Snape said smiling wryly. He handed Rose her potion. Rose drank it quickly.

"Sit down, you act as if you've never been in a friend's office before." Rose said jovially.

Snape sat and poured himself a drink. "Can I offer you some?"

"Are you kidding? Alcohol could be lethal for my babies. I've read how some mothers have had wine, beer, any sort of alcohol and their babies have died or they were born deformed. I wouldn't risk it if my life depended on it." Rose smiled. "Maybe _after_ I have them."

"I didn't know that could happen." Snape said ashamedly. 

"Lot's of things could happen." Rose said gesturing vaguely. 

"Like what?" Snape asked, his curiosity aroused. 

"Well, if I were hit by the Crutacius Curse, I would live, but the babies would die. I've read that people have undergone torture and their babies have lived, but in most cases they never fully developed. I think that a person could withstand _some_ torture before it affected their baby, but not much." Rose paused for a moment.

"Do you always think about all the things that _could_ go wrong? It seem a bit fatalistic to me." Severus inputted.

"Not all the time, I just want to know what kind of ramifications my actions could carry. Like sex for instance." Snape suddenly looked uncomfortable. "If Sirius and I were to make love, we could physically damage one or both of our children." Rose said knowingly.

"What else can't you have?" Snape asked, hoping Rose's answer wouldn't entail sex or Sirius.

"Most potions… I can't change into my animagi form. The Healers told me that a baby couldn't handle the change so soon in their physical development. I have missed transforming. I was going to do a lesson on animagius and their uses in fighting Dark Wizards, but it'll wait until spring."

"You're still going to have Remus teach when you're out then?"

"Yeah… hey, do you know a person named Bambi Hopkins?" Rose asked hopefully.

Snape thought about it for a minute. "I think I remember her, it's hard to forget a student named Bambi. Who names their kid Bambi?" Snape asked rhetorically. 

"What's she like?" Rose probed.

"I think she was in Ravenclaw. She did really well in my class. I don't remember anything else about her. Why?"

"She's Remus' girlfriend. I just wanted to learn about her a little bit." Rose explained.

"Isn't she a tidbit young for him?" Snape asked after he did some quick mental math.

Rose laughed coldly. "She's closer to Harry's age than his." Rose glanced at her watch. "I need to go to bed, I'm really really tired." Rose was unable to stop herself from yawning. "Night Severus."

Snape stood up and stretched. "Night, I'll be weary of any big black dogs haunting my footsteps." Snape joked.

"Just make sure that dog wipes his paws off before he jumps into bed." Rose said letting out a stifled laugh. "If Sirius were to hunt down all my guy friends, he would be busy for a while." Rose said yawning.

Severus smiled mildly and left. He felt slightly encouraged by the news about Remus. His logic told him that if a werewolf could catch a younger witch then a diabolical Potion's Master shouldn't have any problem.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

I hope you liked that one. Incase anyone didn't catch it, Rose and Snape are friends, nothing more, nothing less. I think you'll enjoy the next chapter, or you'll be totally pissed off at me for writing what I'm going to write… We'll see. Hope you liked it! Review!


	21. Es Cah Payhd

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'd like to own Sirius Black though…

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

A mother in London took her children to a park in a small suburb area. She wanted to take advantage of this last sunny day. She had an umbrella with her just in case it decided to rain. Her eldest child, set to go to Hogwarts in a few years time asked if she could try to read the 'Daily Prophet.' The child took the paper in her small hands and concentrated on the words on the page.

"Es… es cap ehd." The child sounded out. "Es cap ehd, that's like the word escape, isn't it, Mommy?" The young girls asked naively. 

The mom grabbed the paper out of her child's hands and read the article in question. She didn't bother reading the whole thing, the first few lines were enough to send her home, 'Peter Pettigrew, escaped from Ministry hands.'

"Come on, children, we're going home."

Meanwhile, in Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Rose Black's yells of anger could be heard from every part of the castle. 

"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? HE'S NOT EVEN SMART ENOUGH TO MAKE HIS WAY OUT OF A SHOPPING MALL AROUND CHRISTMAS!" Rose yelled, seething with anger and hatred. She was alone in her room, but she felt the need to yell. Rose sat down and read the article a few more times.

"He was helped. That poor excuse for a human being, that insolent little man could not orchestrate a rubber band. I bet Voldemort busted him out… but why?" Rose stood up and paced her room.

"Master…" Dobby said tentatively. He'd come running when he heard Rose shouting. "Is you needing something?"

Rose jerked around and saw Dobby trembling in the doorway. "No, I'm fine. I'll be fine." Rose looked at her clock. "Could you bring me some toast and a cup of hot chocolate and coffee, how I like it?" Rose asked, realizing she had forgone breakfast for her tantrum. 

"Yes, ma'am. I'll bring it to you right away." Dobby promised bowing and leaving Rose's chamber.

Rose went into the classroom and awaited the sixth year Gryffindors. They filed in and took their seats. No one spoke at all; they all eyed Rose apprehensively. Apparently, they heard every word of Rose's rant.

"Morning class. Please hand in your homework. I hope these essays are better than the previous ones I graded." Rose walked in between the desks and collected a mass of parchment rolls. Once she had all the papers in hand, Rose placed them in her 'in' box receptacle. Rose turned to face the class, every member of which looked as if they were waiting for something to explode, besides Rose's stomach.

"If you'll open your books to chapter 13, "The Art of Disguise," we'll get started." Rose looked up as Harry raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Are you alright, Professor?" Harry swallowed hard before he continued. "We…heard you this morning…from the Great Hall…"

Rose kept an even face. "Did any of you read this morning's headlines?" Rose eyed the class, only 4 people raised their hands. "Mr. Longbottom, can you inform the class as to what happened last night at the Ministry of Magic?"

Neville looked around nervously, he hated addressing groups of people. He stood up shaking slightly. "The newspaper said…" Neville's voice was two octaves higher than usual, he cleared his throat. "It said that Peter Pettigrew escaped from the Ministry. It says that he's a Death Eater and is dangerous." Neville looked up to Rose. His eyes begged to be allowed to sit back down.

"Thank you Mr. Longbottom. Ten points to Gryffindor. You may sit down." Neville collapsed into his char. Rose wondered how someone composed of the DNA from two of the most confident and talented people she knew could be so timid and lack all self-confidence. 

"As some of you know or have heard through various gossip lines, Peter Pettigrew is the reason that Sirius Black spent 12 years in Azkaban and three years after his escape in hiding. He has also cause the deaths of people I held dear." Rose used all her resolve to keep herself from spewing out her hatred. "News of such a 'person' escaping could rattle anyone involved to the bone." Rose sighed deeply. "On with the lesson, can anyone tell me…"

That evening, Dumbledore called Rose to his office. When she got there, Snape, Sirius, Remus, and Arthur were there. 

"We're all here to discuss what plans Voldemort may have for Peter. I fear that Voldemort will utilize Peter's talents as an animagi, I'm not sure where or for what purpose." Dumbledore explained after they were all seated around Dumbledore's desk.

"The Dark Lord didn't share any plans, or even mention Pettigrew at the last meeting…" Snape said. He looked as if he had racked his brain all day trying to think of a plausible way that Peter escaped.

"Arthur, who was guarding him when he escaped?" Remus asked running his fingers through his hair for what must have been the hundredth time that day. 

"Whoever busted him out did it while the guards were changing shifts. Anything could have happened. Someone could have delayed the guards, someone could have created a diversion, the possibilities are endless." Arthur's ears were red out of frustration.

"Why would Voldemort need a useless, _spineless_ git such as Peter?" Rose asked rhetorically. Sirius had an answer.

"Isn't that obvious? He wants to use him as a spy like the Order used me. Rats are small, inconspicuous and common. He could have more uses than we'd like to think." Sirius said somberly. "I'm more concerned with what we're going to do to find him and stop him."

"_That_ should be obvious. We need to post cats at every doorway." Rose said smirking. "If we watch what we say, where we say it, we should be safe. Peter can't communicate with Voldemort while he's a rat. He'd have to find a place to transform without risking being seen."

"The Shrieking Shack." Remus said automatically. 

"That's if he's coming here." Arthur said skeptically. "He may stay in London and spy on someone there." Arthur reasoned.

"Is there some way to detect if an animal is really an animal?" Snape asked.

Rose shook her head. "I haven't heard of anything like that, Severus… Unless we force every rat we come in contact with…" Rose shook her head as if she doubted whether that would work. As if on cue, they all looked to Dumbledore for an answer. He had been silent during their conversation.

"I do not know anything more than all of you know." He said sounding tired and old. "I can only hope that we don't realize Voldemort's plans when it is too late to counteract them. You all brought up some good points. I think that is all we'll be able to cover this evening. Remus, Arthur, you're both welcome to stay. I can make arrangements for you Arthur and Remus, you may stay in your room. Sirius, you're welcome to stay with Rose as you usually do." They all stood up. 

"Hey, Rose, Molly wanted me to tell you 'hi' and make sure you're doing well." Arthur said while they descended the Gargoyle staircase. 

"Give Molly a hug for me and tell her I'm as well as can be expected. I'll see you later Arthur, or should I say Minister?" Rose said smiling.

Arthur turned red in his ears. "Please, don't use my title as my name." He said exasperatedly. "I'll tell Molly as soon as I see her." Arthur smiled as he followed a house elf to his room for the night.

Rose and Sirius walked to her chamber hand in hand. They cuddled on the couch and talked. After a short while, Remus popped in.

"I'm not… er… interrupting anything, am I?" He asked tentatively. 

"No, we're just talking about a certain rat we'd all like to kill." Rose said plainly. 

"Oh, good. I'll have plenty to say them." Remus plopped onto an armchair. "Do you want a drink, Sirius?" Remus asked, pouring himself a shot of firewhiskey. Sirius nodded.

"Thanks, Moony." There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Sirius asked.

The door opened and Snape poked his head in. "It's me. I brought Rose her potion." He stepped in and handed Rose her goblet.

"Thanks Severus. Why don't you join us? We were just going to share our dislike for Peter." Rose ignored Sirius' look on malcontent. Snape glanced nervously at Sirius, but decided to risk it.

"Here, have a shot, Sevie." Remus brandished a shot glass full of Firewhiskey. Snape's lip curled out of disdain of the nickname Remus had given him.

They all drank into the night (except for Rose who watched on with great amusement). Around one in the morning they dispersed and went to their respective rooms.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Rose said yawning. "Here, let me help you." Sirius couldn't get his shirt over his head. "Just sit on the edge of the bed." Sirius complied and sat, causing a divot in the mattress. 

Rose kneeled behind Sirius on the bed. She took his T-shirt and lifted it over his head, revealing his muscular back. Sirius tried to undo his belt and pants, but was unsuccessful. Rose sighed and took over. She undid his belt and pants. She had some trouble getting his pants off, mainly because of his body weight, but was successful. Sirius just sat there, looking rather comatose while Rose finished undressing him. Rose pulled back the covers and Sirius grabbed Rose by the waist and pulled her onto the bed. Rose squealed out of shock and surprise. 

"I knew I could get you to undress me." He said smiling arrogantly. Rose crawled to her side of the bed.

"You're such a guy." Rose said punching Sirius playfully in the shoulder. "Next time, I won't be so helpful. I might forget how to operate a zipper properly and who knows what could get caught in there." Rose smiled mischievously. 

Sirius gagged. "You wouldn't…"

Rose agreed. "I wouldn't, but it was worth seeing that look on your face." Rose smiled, kissed Sirius goodnight, and went to sleep.

The next day, the members of the group formerly known as DA bombarded Harry with questions and requests to reform their group.

Harry was adamantly against it.

"We had DA last year because we weren't being taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, this year we are. You just want to reform because of Pettigrew. If there were any reason to be afraid of him, it would be for his lack of talent in any arena." Harry told the people who asked him.

Harry showed up to Occulmency early so he could ask Rose some questions. Rose was expecting questions from Harry. She was a bit groggy from her late night, but tried her best to be alert.

Harry asked all his questions. Rose answered the ones that she knew the answers to and gave her theories on the ones she wasn't sure about. Harry's last question seared into Rose's brain and remained there.

"Rose… is he going to kill me?" Harry asked as a finally question. Rose could hear a hint of fear in Harry's voice.

"Peter couldn't kill you. You spared his life. He owes you his life, Harry. That is something that Wizards don't forget easily. What makes you think he'll try and kill you anyway?" Rose asked, she wanted to know what made Harry's mind venture down that avenue of thought.

"That seems to be the end all of Voldemort's plans. Do something and kill Harry Potter. You'd think the man could come up with a new idea, but he just alters each plan and keeps the same objective. Each time, someone besides me gets hurt or killed…" 

Rose got where this was going. Harry wasn't scared for his own life; he just didn't want anyone around him to die. Rose didn't have an answer for Harry; she pulled him into a motherly hug. Harry let out a stifled gasp. After a minute, Rose let go of Harry and she sat on the corner of her desk.

"Harry, if someone does get hurt, or die, it wouldn't be your fault. You can't control what Voldemort does. I know it must be tempting to separate yourself from everyone you know, but that would be the worse thing you could. Harry, you have to promise me that you won't disengage from your friends every time Voldemort rears his hideous head, promise me." Harry nodded bleakly. "Good, now let's work on some of this Occulmency. Do you want to block?"

While Rose and Harry conducted their lesson, an intruder crept into the room, a very small intruder. He skulked in the corner and watched the two practice a branch of magic he didn't know. Good thing for him, he blended in with the wall, otherwise Rose would have killed him on the spot. Even better, he was only the size of a rat, because was a rat. 

Harry did as he promised and didn't go through his routine of detachment, depression, and rebounding. He was open with Ginny about his fears.

"Ginny, if I should be captured or taken hostage, or anything like that, I don't want you to come after me." Harry said brazenly. 

"Why not? You would rescue me!" Ginny didn't like being told not to do things, especially when she thought she could do it. 

"I don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't live with that. I've gotten past Voldemort five times-"

"Each time, someone was there for you, Harry. I'll be there for you." Ginny said firmly. The idea of facing a group of Death Eaters scared Ginny down to the tips of her hair, but she would do that for Harry. 

Hermione came up with a few ideas to tell in the others were in danger. "It's called the 'comitis periclitatus.' It is used to flag people if you're in danger. I thought that we could use it if any of us falls into Voldemort's clenches or if we see Wormtail." A rat hiding under the couch perked his ears at the sound of his name.

Ron, Harry, and Ginny gawked at Hermione for her bookworm brilliance. 

"How does it work?" Ginny asked. 

"It is a charm that we'd cast on one another. It's sorta like a pain/fear indicator. When one of us is in pain or a great amount of fear, the others will know who and where." Hermione explained. The rat couldn't believe that someone that young was _that_ clever.

"You expect us to fear Wormtail, if we see him?" Ron scoffed. The rat wanted to bite his former master, but he lacked bravery. Which wasn't a new circumstance for him.

"He may be useless and devoid of all skill, but he's still and adult wizard who out sizes all of us and could plausibly over-power us. You could fake being scared, Ron. That's what you could do." Hermione said exasperatedly. The small rat agreed with the young witch full-heartily 

"Wouldn't we have quite a few false alarms? I mean, if Ron sees a spider, we'll all come running, wands out, and it wouldn't be for anything." Harry input.

"Better safe than sorry. We'll probably have more false alarms than anything, but the alarm will be there." Hermione reasoned.

"I'm in." Ginny said.

"Me too." Harry echoed. 

"I'm in, honestly, spiders are frightening." Ron added. ~_They're all lemmings. Hey, I used a big word._~ The rat thought as the youths agreed to the charm.

"Good." Hermione cast the charms on each of them, and then herself.

"Should we test it?" Harry asked. 

Hermione grinned. "I have a plan for that." She said in an undertone. "Ron, will you grab my Ancient Runes book out of my bag?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"Sure." Ron hopped up and opened Hermione's bag. A stream of spiders came pouring out. Ron screamed. The other three had a tingling sensation all over their bodies that told them to go to the Gryffindor common room to see if Ron was all right. ~_They treat him like James, Sirius, and Remus would treat me. Always the butt of a joke._~ The rat thought bitterly.

"It works." Ginny said wiggling to get the tingling sensation out of her system. 

Ron sat down grumpily and thrust Hermione's book into her hand. "Funny. Test it out on Ron. La La La, let's hear _him_ scream" Ron said in a Hermione voice.

"That was the weirdest sensation, I could tell that Ron was scared and that he was here…" Harry's shoulders shuddered slightly. "Weird."

The four of them enjoyed their newfound connection. They'd all take turns scaring one another just to get the tingly sensation throughout their bodies. Hermione was constantly scolding them about their careless behavior.

"If you keep it up-" Hermione started.

"Yes, I know, we won't know when it's real." Ron mimicked. He and Hermione went at it.

Before anyone knew it, Christmas break was upon them. Rose was busy making plans for and with everyone. Harry, Ron, and Ginny stopped listening to their professors in class. Potions went first, then Transfiguration. Rose was talking to Remus and Bambi via Floo Powder about a week before the break making plans to rendezvous in Diagon Alley a few days into the break.

Rose was seated on a giant pillow on the floor; she couldn't exactly lie on the floor. Rose didn't think it would matter if her conversation was heard, but to a rat hiding near the hearth, this conversation was priceless.

"Bambi, what day would work for the two of you?" Rose asked. She liked Bambi so far, though she was a bit too vivacious for Rose to endure for long periods of time. 

"I see how it is, pretend like _I_ don't have a life." Remus said in a mock hurt voice.

"Remus, you don't have a life. Besides, statistics show that women are more capable and willing to track a couple's schedule." Rose rambled off. 

"She's right, Remy." Bambi let out a giggle. Rose held back a grimace. "I think that Saturday would be great. We could meet at noon. Are you going to bring Sirius?" Bambi asked.

"I think so, I couldn't drag Remus through hours of girl talk and not subject my own husband to the same thing." Rose laughed quietly. It took Bambi a moment to process what Rose said, and then she burst out laughing. 

"You're too funny, Rose!" Bambi snorted, then ceased to laugh. "We'll see you then."

"Can't wait!" Rose replied. Remus and Bambi disappeared from the fireplace. The rat was ecstatic; he'd finally have something to tell his master. He scurried off to tell his master the news.

Rose lounged on her couch and started to talk to herself.

"She was in Ravenclaw… hmm, interesting selection. I would have placed her in… I don't know. I don't think she'd have the balls to be in Gryffindor, the hate to be a Slytherin, she could be a Hufflepuff, but I don't think they're that energetic. She does know her potions though. Speaking of potions, I need Severus to make me some potion for the break. I should have asked him a while ago. If he can't do it, I could… that doesn't sound like fun." Rose scowled at the thought.

"Only four days left. I'll have a whole, almost a whole month to spend with Sirius. It'll be great."

Rose was relieved that evening when Severus said he'd been making extra potion, so Rose would have plenty during the break. 

On Friday, it took all of Rose's resolve to stay focused in class. Rose decided it would be best to keep the student's attention by teaching them some cool hexes she learned in Mexico… all defensive hexes of course. The students loved knowing hexes that other students didn't. Rose threatened the classes with a years worth of detention if _one_ student ended up in the Hospital Wing as a result of the Nonstop Farting Hex. 

Once Rose finished with her classes for the day, she finished packing. She, Harry, and Malfoy were all leaving that evening on the Knight Bus. Rose decided that would be easier than trying to make Draco leaving with her at King's Cross a discreet matter. 

Harry and Draco were in the Entrance Hall at five o'clock sharp with their trunks. Under Rose's instruction, neither of them told anyone where they were going or who they were going with. All Ron, Hermione, and Ginny knew was that Harry got to go a whole 18 hours earlier than they did. Draco doubted whether anyone in Slytherin would notice his absence or care.

"Good, you're both on time." Rose said as she walked nimbly down the staircase. "You don't have to carry your trunks, we're not off school grounds yet. Use the locomotor charm." Rose instructed. The two boys did as they were told.

They walked in silence to Hogsmeade. Rose was on the watch for anything odd. Nothing happened, much to her relief. After a bumpy and uncomfortable ride to London, they all climbed out at the end of Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Tonks met them there.

"Are we there?" Draco asked after Rose released Sirius from a long hug.

"No, were not." Tonks replied. 

"Oh, sorry. I forgot my manners." Rose said quickly. "Tonks, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Nymphadora Tonks. Call her Tonks."

Draco smiled and shook Tonk's hand. "Nice to meet you." He said courteously.

"This will tell you where we're staying." Rose handed Draco a small piece of Parchment. "Read it, memorize it, you won't get another one." Rose gave Draco a minute to read it over. She took the parchment and burnt it using a lighter.

"Cool! I haven't seen one of those in years!" Sirius said excitedly.

"Honey, we're out here for a reason."

"Oh, yeah." Sirius smiled sheepishly. 

"You'll have to carry your trunks from here." Rose announced. Draco scowled for a moment and then picked up his trunk. Rose tried to get hers, but Sirius stopped her. "Let me carry something." Sirius handed Rose a small bag. "Thanks." Rose kept one hand on her wand the whole way to number 12. When they reached number 11, she instructed Malfoy to think about the parchment and what it said.

Number 12 appeared between numbers 11 and 13. Draco looked surprised at that. He cautiously followed the others up the stairs and into the house.

"Set down your things, we'll get them upstairs." Sirius said gruffly. Harry and Malfoy complied. 

"Dinner is ready downstairs," Tonks said happily. "I made it myself." Harry winced at the thought, but he was hungry.

After the three adults moved Harry and Draco's things into rooms, they went downstairs. To Rose's surprise, Harry and Draco were enjoying the food that Tonks prepared. Rose joined them and it was good.

"When did you learn to cook, Tonks?"

  
"This fall. Molly undertook the task of teaching me." Tonks said proudly. Rose nodded approvingly. 

"Sirius, you could learn to cook too." Rose suggested innocently.

"Are you kidding? What would you do all day long?" He teased Rose.

"Oh, I don't know. Take care of the kids, work, clean, work. You could be a stay at home dad." Rose said smiling. She could picture Sirius in an apron. 

"It's not hard, cooking. I think you could learn, Mr. Black." Draco offered.

Rose looked slightly taken aback. "Do you cook, Draco?"

"Yes, I love to cook, Professor. I don't get the chance very often. My father always says that it's servant's work. So I'd cook when he wasn't at home."

"Draco, while we're not at Hogwarts, you don't have to refer to me as 'Professor.' Either call me Rose, or if you must, call me Mrs. Black. I'd really prefer Rose." Draco nodded. "Since you can cook, you should plan and make dinner for us one day." Rose suggested.

Tonks decided that the conversation was getting too bland, so she changed her face into Rose's. Draco choked on his bite. Rose was sitting next to Tonks so she didn't see what happened right away.

Rose burst out into laughter when she saw herself. "Honestly, Tonks, you're gonna give the kid a heart-attack!" 

"Does this mean twice the fun for me?" Sirius asked smiling wickedly. 

"No, it means twice the nagging." Rose shot at him playfully, still chortling.

Harry was beside himself giggling. Tonks changed back into herself.

Draco was still trying to piece together what transpired. "Now… how?" He managed.

Rose managed to stop laughing long enough to explain. "She's a metamor- meta…" Rose couldn't wrap her tongue around the word. "She's a shape changer. She can change her appearance at will." Rose managed. Draco nodded.

After a fun and insightful (at least it was for Draco) dinner, they all went to bed. As Rose settled into bed, she looked forward to her day with Sirius, Remus, and Bambi. She hoped that her patience would last the day.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Ok, Peter escaping was the thing that I was talking about at the end of my last chapter. Some things for you to ponder while I write my next chapter: What is Voldemort planning that Peter could possibly help with? Will Rose kill Bambi in Diagon Alley as a result of her valley girl behavior? (I was trying to portray that during the Floo Powder part). Will they recapture Peter? Why the hell was he at Hogwarts? What about the conversation he overheard could be of any use to Voldemort? Will I ever tire of asking you, the reader questions at the end of chapter? What do you think will/should happen in the next few chapter?

****

Review! You don't have to tell me the A's to my Q's, they are there for your benefit. 


	22. Not really real, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'd like to own Sirius Black though…

A/N: I hope you're ready for this. It's not as long as my others but it's a whammy. Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

Rose and Sirius were ready to leave far earlier than they needed to be. They were both dreading spending the afternoon with Bambi. Mrs. Weasley came by that morning to watch Harry and Malfoy. They weren't told that was why she was there. Tonks was going to stay with them while Mrs. Weasley got the others from King's Cross.

"You're going on a date, with your husband?" Malfoy asked dubiously at breakfast. His parents didn't do anything together unless it was a showy social event. 

"Some people do that." Rose said smiling at Sirius. "I wouldn't call it a date, people enjoy dates. I don't think we'll enjoy this very much." 

"Don't you like Remus' girlfriend?" Harry asked, he hadn't met her and he found it quite a shock when he learned that he had one.

"She's… a bit too…" Rose tried to think of a euphemistic word to use, none came to mind.

"Happy." Sirius finished for Rose. "Always happy."

Draco and Malfoy exchanged confused looks, and decided not to ask anymore questions.

Before they left, Rose went over the rules one more time.

"No magic, no drinking, no leaving the house, don't poke around the rooms, some of them are dangerous. If you think that you're doing something that may get you into trouble, don't do it." Rose paused to make sure she didn't leave anything out. "Well, that covers it. We'll be off. Have fun." Rose and Sirius left.

"With a do not do list like that, I doubt if anything we do could be considered fun." Harry murmured to Draco.

Rose and Sirius walked down the street, holding hands. When they reached a discreet location, they apparated to Diagon Alley. They ran into Remus and Bambi almost right away. The two couples went into the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.

Rose tried her best to make conversation.

"Where are you from, Bambi?" Rose asked soon after they were seated.

"I'm from Whales. Where are you from, Rose? You don't have an English accent." Bambi observed. Rose was surprised at Bambi's astuteness. 

"I'm from the US. Washington State to be precise. I never picked up on the whole English accent thing." Rose said casually.

"Washington? I haven't heard much about there. Is it interesting?" Bambi asked.

"You don't want to get her started, sweetie. She once spent three hours rambling about that place." Remus said smiling benignly.

"I only spent the first 12 years of my life there. You and Sirius enjoyed it while you were there." Rose said defending her obsession with her home state. 

"You both went there? When?" Bambi asked.

"I went there for a funeral and our Honeymoon. Remus, James, and Peter came there to visit us during our honeymoon… not right away of course." Sirius explained.

"How did you get into potions?" Rose asked, smiling sweetly.

"Oh, I was good at it during school." Bambi said airily. "I thought I should do what I'm good at. When I told Professor Snape that I wanted to pursue a career in Potions, he helped me find a job." Bambi said in a very valley-girlish voice.

Bambi got a perplexed look on her face when she received a round of snickers from her three companions. 

Rose tried to imagine Severus dealing with a person that had the idiosyncrasies that Bambi had. All she could picture was a Severus heavily dependent on firewhiskey and a stress ball.

After they finished eating and talking for a while the two couples decided to go shopping for a bit. Rose and Bambi went off by themselves and Remus and Sirius mulled around Quality Quidditch.

When Rose and Bambi were near Eyelops Owl Emporium, Rose spotted a sign. It read: 'Baby Sale, Especially for Twins.' 

"I'm going to check out a sale down the way, I'll catch up with you in a little." Rose told Bambi as she sped off to find this place. All she had to go on was an arrow pointed in a general direction.

Rose walked down the street a bit; she didn't see further evidence of a sale, until she heard someone mention a sale on twin merchandise. Rose followed the person into a store, trying to get their attention to ask where it was. Rose was too focused on her main objective to notice that she had wandered into Knockturn Alley. She didn't realize where she was until she heard a cold, drawling voice from behind her.

"You're too easily lured, Mudblood." Lucius said knocking Rose out with a blow to her head.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Bambi, Remus, and Sirius combed Diagon Alley for Rose. The found her an hour later. She ran into them outside of Gringott's Bank.

"I've been looking for all of you for almost an hour!" She exclaimed. "I thought someone nabbed ya or something." Rose said laughing nervously.

"You were worried? None of us are 7 months pregnant, with twins!" Sirius said worriedly. "I thought the worse had happened!" Sirius pulled Rose into a long hug and kissed her on the forehead, then he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Rose tore away as soon as he started to kiss her. "Honestly, you don't have to snog my face off!" Rose snapped. Sirius blinked a few times then blushed. There was an awkward silence between the group.

"We should get back… I think that the others will be home from Hogwarts soon. You two will need to be there to help Molly." Remus said, breaking the silence.

They looked for a convenient place to apperate from and said their good-byes. Remus and Bambi disapperated first. Rose and Sirius were about to when Rose tugged on Sirius' sleeve.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked saccharinely. 

"Home, Grimmauld Place." Sirius said searching Rose for some sign of acknowledgment. 

Rose smiled, "Just checking."

Rose walked slowly on the way back to number 12. Much to Sirius' dislike, Rose wouldn't hold his hand; she kept holding the cuff of his sleeve. Sirius didn't say anything about it. He thought she might have something sticky on her hand.

Harry and Malfoy were playing chess when they got inside.

"What the bloodyhell-" Rose blurted out once she saw them. Everyone gawked at Rose waiting for her to reveal the source of her outburst. "There was a creepy-crawly…" Rose said pointing ambiguously towards Harry and Draco.

"Are you still making dinner tonight, Professor? I mean Rose." Draco asked.

"Yeah…" Rose didn't sound too convinced about that. Rose squinted at her watch to check the time.

"You could make Mexican!!!" Harry said excitedly.

"Are we feeling peckish enough to eat a person?" Rose asked not showing any sign of jesting.

"I guess that's a no…" Sirius translated for the others. "You've been snarky today." Sirius commented. Rose checked her watch again, this time she held her wrist rather close to her face.

"No need to be an arse about it." Rose snapped. "I don't have time to make a Mexican. I'll make chicken and cabbage." Rose decided. 

"You hate cabbage." Sirius said plainly. "I'm not complaining though. I love it." Sirius added quickly. Rose squinted, once again, this time she was looking at the chessboard.

"Honey, did you forget to put your contacts in or something?" Sirius asked. He figured it was that or his wife had invented a new way of communicating. 

"I… I guess so. I'm a bit blind without them, aren't I?" Rose said squinting a bit more. "From here, I can't see the pieces on the chessboard… I'm only 4 feet away… I have glasses, right?"

"Yeah… are you hinting that you'd like me to go get them?" Sirius asked sighing slightly.

"If you'd please." Sirius hurried upstairs and fetched Rose's rarely used glasses. He gave them to her and she put them on hastily.

"That's better." Rose said letting her eyes adjust.

Rose went down to the kitchen. Tonks started to follow her downstairs, but Rose called out, "Don't worry. It'll go faster without you." Tonks returned to the others looking rather dejected. 

Sirius, Harry, Draco, and Tonks sat in silence for a moment.

"I take it she didn't enjoy today." Tonks remarked. She really had a keen sense for the obvious, though no one would tell her that after Rose harshly chastised her.

"I guess not." Sirius agreed with his cousin, he wasn't sure when things went south for Rose.

"It's weird…" Harry said pensively. "She's talking like she's from here…"

"I think that was a product of our lunch with Remus and Bambi… Bambi commented that Rose didn't have an English accent and sounded like a foreigner. I guess she wants to prove that she knows how to talk like a Brit." Sirius explained.

"Is she really _that_ blind?" Draco asked. Sirius nodded. "How could she see a spider without her glasses then?"

"It was probably big… really big." Harry reasoned. Draco shrugged, he was just wondering.

Hermione, Ginny, and Ron arrived in time for dinner, though they wished they had missed it. Rose somehow managed to burn _and_ undercook the chicken. The cabbage was overcooked and cold when the rest of dinner was ready. Everyone ate a bit of their food, or just shuffled it around the plate so it looked like someone had eaten some of it.

The only thing that shocked the three of them more than Rose's horrible cooking, was Malfoy's presence there. Harry promised to explain once they weren't around the adults. Rose, Sirius, Tonks, and Molly pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary. 

After dinner, everyone went to bed with their stomachs growling. While Rose was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, Sirius talked to her about her new 'accent.' 

"Honey, you don't have to use 'British' words just because Bambi said that you haven't acquired our slang." Sirius said through the bathroom door. "It doesn't make a difference to me if you talk like an American."

Rose didn't respond. She emerged from the bathroom in her nightgown. "You're right." Rose said compliantly. Rose got into bed, follow by Sirius. 

Sirius snuggled close to Rose.

"Sirius… I'm not feeling well and I'm not sure if you crowding me will help." Sirius scooted over so there was a noticeable distance between them. "Thanks."

Sirius turned the lights off and they went to bed.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Harry walked into a stone room that had a large stone pillar in the middle and was lined with Death Eaters. Bound to it was Rose Black, only covered with an old sheet. She appeared to be concentrating on something.

"Loosing your temper won't help you now, Black" Harry said coldly. "Not that you'll live to tell anyone, but I've made a curse that deprives someone of _all_ magical ability. Wormtail, untie her." Harry instructed a Death Eater to his left.

Rose's eyes flashed with mingled fear and anger. Wormtail approached Rose audaciously. He flexed his silver fingers. He broke the rope that kept Rose in bondage and undid the gag. He pushed Rose against the pillar, keeping her pinned by his 'real' arm.

"Not so strong now, are we? I don't hear you calling me any of the names you saw fit to use at Hogwarts. Scared, mudblood?" Peter taunted. He removed his arm from Rose's chest. 

Harry was watching all of this with great satisfaction. He relished ever scrape Rose already had and got goosebumps thinking about the injuries he would inflict upon her.

Peter turned towards Harry. Rose seized the opportunity to punch Peter. He caught Rose's fist with his silver hand. "Not a good idea. See this new arm my Master gave me?" He asked indicating Harry. "It has faster reflexes and," Wormtail started to squeeze Rose's fist. "It's stronger." 

Harry smirked as Rose's face contorted in pain. He could tell she wanted to yell out, but was forcing her body to be silent. "That's enough Wormtail. Give the mudblood your wand." Harry instructed.

All the Death Eaters in the room, including Peter, looked confused by the request.

Harry took offense to their facial expressions. "Do you doubt my power? My ability to stop a filthy mudblood, even one with a little talent?" Harry's cold eyes darted around the room. Everyone said they had no doubts.

Wormtail gave Rose his wand and retreated to his place in the circle. Rose held the wand cautiously, she didn't understand Voldemort's logic. 

"Well, mudblood, are you going to _try_ to curse us? The wand won't work for you. Like I said, I invented a curse that deprives people of all magical power. So go on and try your worst." Harry said tauntingly. 

Rose gripped the wand defiantly. "Stupefy!" Rose said with no affect on the person standing at the end of the wand. The group around her chuckled heartily. Rose blinked a few times and turned to another Death Eater. This one she recognized as Rodolphus. "Petrificus Totalus!" Rose said with gusto. Once again, nothing happened. The Death Eaters erupted in a course of laughter. 

Rose dropped the wand as if it were burning her hand. She backed up and walked into the pole. Rose ran her fingers through her way, like she did when she was nervous. Rose reached for the lock that she'd always twirl when she was in a bind and discovered it was gone. Then, in a moment devoid of thought, Rose ran for the door. 

"Impedimenta!" Harry said lazily. Rose fell to the ground. "I don't think you'll be leaving here…"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Harry woke up with a start. He was breathing heavily and his heart was pounding in his chest. ~_I was dreaming… wasn't I? I wouldn't do that… wait I… I was Voldemort. I thought I'd gotten rid of those dreams… It was just a nightmare. Rose is here…_~

Ron was awake now; the tingly feeling woke him up. "Harry! Are you OK? I just got… that…" Ron asked the darkness.

"I don't know… I think I just had a nightmare… I'm not sure." Harry said uncertainly.

Malfoy stirred in his bed. "What's going on?" He yawned.

"Nothing." Ron snapped. He didn't care what Harry said, having Malfoy there for the break was weird, and there wasn't any other way to put it.

Hermione and Ginny burst into the room. Ginny ran into a dresser. Hermione turned the lights on. Ginny made her way to Harry's bed.

"Are you alright? We both woke up and came." Ginny said worriedly. 

"I'm fine… I had a nightmare." Ginny turned white at Harry's words. "I don't think it was real though…" Harry added seeing the fear growing in Ginny's eyes.

"What was it?" Draco asked, cutting to the point. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stared at Malfoy briefly, they had forgotten he was with them.

" I was Voldemort. Voldemort had Rose and… she was tied up to a pillar… there were Death Eaters everywhere… Wormtail was there… Voldemort told him to untie Rose. He did, then he taunted her. Rose tried to punch him, but he ended up hurting her, a lot I think. Then I- Voldemort told Wormtail to give Rose his wand… he did and Rose couldn't do anything. Voldemort said that he made a curse that took Power away from people… That's all I remember." 

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged significant looks. 

"It was real," Ginny said adamantly. 

"I don't know… Harry hasn't had a dream like that since… last Christmas…" Ron said uncertainly. 

"Rose is here. Why don't we settle this right now and make sure she's still in bed?" Hermione reasoned.

"I think we should do that." Harry said agreeing with Hermione.

Harry scrambled out of bed and headed for the door. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco followed him.

"No one invited you." Ron hissed.

"Let him come." Harry said forcefully. 

They all made there way up to the master bedroom. Harry paused with his hand on the doorknob. ~_She's in there and everything's alright._~ Harry told himself. He opened the door, causing light to pour into the room.

Sirius was partially awake already. "You can hear her too?" He asked the crowd of teens, none of whom responded. "She's not feeling well. She's had to dart into the bathroom every hour or so to throw-up." Sirius explained sleepily.

"Oh, we just wanted to make sure she was alright…" Harry said half-truthfully. Harry turned on a dime and left the room, closely followed by the others. When they were within the confines of the boy's room, they had a powwow.

"What do you think it meant?" Hermione asked. Everyone exchanged uncomfortable glances, except for Malfoy who hadn't quite worked out what the big deal was.

"It could have been real… Maybe it's something that You-Know-Who is planning…" Ginny theorized.

"Well maybe it was indigestion." Harry snapped. He didn't want to be skirted around like he was last year.

"Can I clarify some things?" Draco asked.

He received a mixture of yes's and no's. Draco decided to go with the yes's. "Harry dreams about things and sometimes it's what the Dark Lord is doing?" Harry nodded apprehensively. "You don't do it all time do you?" Harry shook his head. "You'll dream things that _really_ happen?" 

"What's your point?" Ginny asked testily. 

"I was just checking that I was following what was happening!" Draco said defensively. "It's not like there's a handbook to all the secrets that Harry Potter and his friends share."

"So we've agreed that it was just a nightmare?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

There were nods of consent through the group.

"You should tell Rose and Sirius about that…" Ron suggested.

"No, Rose would be mad at me for not practicing Occulmency… I don't want to worry them." Harry said with a tone of finality that no one questioned. 

That's the end of this chapter. I'll update soon. Thanks to my reviewers!


	23. Mother of all Lies

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'd like to own Sirius Black though…

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

"Impedimenta!" Voldemort said lazily. Rose fell to the ground. "I don't think you'll be leaving here." Voldemort laughed mirthlessly. "Wormtail, tie her up." Voldemort ordered.

"Yes, My Lord." Peter said, hurrying towards Rose.

"Hold on a moment." Rose snapped. "I need to adjust this thing I'm wearing." Rose said irritably. She tried to a spot where she could adjust the makeshift wrap-around without flashing 3 or 4 Death Eaters. Rose got the sheet wrapped securely around her. "Ok."

Peter tied Rose to the pillar so that she was standing and facing Voldemort.

"You're going to tell me where Potter is hiding and where Dumbledore keeps his so-called 'defense.'" Voldemort said icily.

Rose glared at him defiantly. "I can't tell you where Harry is and I don't know what defense you're talking about." Rose said brazenly. 

"Maybe some pain will help you remember." Voldemort raised his wand. Rose cringed, she knew that her babies could die if he tortured her too much, but she also knew that she had an obligation to Harry and the Order.

A voice from the crowd stopped Voldemort. "Master, please…" It was Snape. "This may sound odd, but don't torture Black."

All the Death Eaters looked at Snape as if he'd sprouted another head.

"Why not?" Voldemort asked smirking, if you would call the sickly twist in the man's lips a smirk.

"It could kill the babies." He said keeping his voice devoid of emotion.

"Why would that matter? Wouldn't you like to rid the world of all remaining Blacks, especially the ones from a traitorous line?" Voldemort questioned testily. 

"With my every being, but those aren't Black's children she's carrying… they're mine." Snape hung his head slightly.

Even Voldemort looked surprised at that. He wasn't the first person to respond to Snape, Lucius was.

"Snape, I didn't know you were _that_ lonely. You should have come to me, I would have lent you Narcissa." Lucius said loftily. 

"They're yours? You swear to this?" Voldemort said skeptically. 

Snape looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes, Master, they are mine." 

Rose didn't move her face; she didn't want to give them a reason to doubt Snape. Rose hoped that Snape was as good at Occulmency as he said he was she didn't think she could pull something off like that.

"Do you _care_ for this mudblood?" Voldemort asked as if that would be reason for punishment. Apparently, it was ok for his followers to screw mudbloods, just not love them.

"She initiated the encounter. It was a one time…" Snape smirked perversely. "Well, one night I should say. I have no feelings for her." 

"We all make mistakes, you'll pay for yours another time." Voldemort said coolly. "There are other ways to torture people…" he said complacently.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and Ron passed the next few days at Grimmauld Place without anything exciting happening. Harry, Draco and Ginny finally told Ron and Hermione about their drinking experience.

"Then… I don't remember what happened then…" Harry confessed. He and had taken turns reliving that night.

Ron looked jealous, Hermione looked shocked. 

"I thought we'd get drunk together sometime! Not you and Malfoy!" Ron said disdainfully. He and Harry hadn't mentioned getting drunk, he just assumed it would be something that they'd experience together.

"You didn't get caught?" Hermione said disapprovingly. 

"They got caught." Ginny chimed in smirking.

"Wicked! How'd you get off then?" Ron asked enthusiastically. 

Harry scowled slightly. "I'll give you three guesses." He said dully. 

Hermione was going to say whom she thought, but Ron spoke up first.

"It wasn't Snape, cause then you'd both be expelled. If it was Dumbledore, you'd get in trouble. Was it Rose? I'd think that she'd kill the two of you, but she'd be more likely to let you off, Harry." Ron surmised.

"She wasn't the first person to catch us…" Harry said smirking, he loved keeping people captive like this.

"Was it Sirius?" Ron asked.

"He wasn't the first person either." Harry said looking pointedly at Ginny.

"How many people knew before Rose?" Draco asked slightly shocked. 

"I did." Ginny said, unable to hold in her bliss at knowing something the others did not. 

"How did that happen?" Hermione asked. She would have guessed Sirius or Rose learned about that first.

"I was in the common room when Harry came in. I was quite upset with him for getting in so late…er…early. He fessed up to everything except actually getting drunk." Ginny explained.

"Then Rose found out?" Draco asked. He didn't like that so many people knew that he had gotten drunk, it wasn't something he was proud of.

"No, Sirius found out before Rose." Harry explained. "I told him 'cause I felt guilty…" 

"_Then_ Rose?" Draco said hopefully. 

"She was the next and last person to find out." Harry reassured Draco. 

Rose poked her head in the door then. "Hey, whatcha up to?" 

Five very fast "Nothings" rang in her ears.

"_Riiiight_." Rose smiled mischievously. "Spreading some juicy gossip, then?" 

"Close. We were-" Ron was going to say, but Harry kicked him in a way that it looked like his foot slipped. 

"You don't have to say. Lunch is ready." Everyone scrambled to their feet and bolted downstairs leaving Rose by herself. "Nothing, _right_." Rose unscrewed a flask and drank a large amount on the potion it contained. "This is some nasty shite." She muttered to herself traipsing downstairs. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose opened her eyes. She couldn't make any details of the room out anymore. She wasn't sure if that was from the beatings or if her contacts had fallen out. Rose could see the bloodstains on the sheet that they let her use for clothing.

~_How long have I been here?_~ Rose wondered. She thought about it. ~_Three days? Maybe four. I hope Harry and Sirius are safe… I wonder if they know that I'm gone… They must have a polyjuice double in my place… otherwise someone would have come for me._~

The door opening interrupted Rose's thoughts. Rose had to squint to recognize who it was. 

"Rodolphus…" Rose muttered.

Rodolphus seemed slightly shocked that Rose was conscience, but he kept to his work.

"You know, I haven't seen Bellatrix the whole time I've been here." Rose noted, mainly to herself. "I'd think she'd love to come and taunt me with whatever insults she'd stayed up the entire night coming up with. She's never passed up the opportunity before." Rose said drowsily. Then it hit Rose like a ton of bricks. 

~_She's in my place… she's with Harry…Draco…Ron….Hermione…Ginny… and Sirius._~ A wicked smile spread across Rose's face.

"Rodolphus, you're a loyal man." Rose said mustering her voice to be above a hoarse scratch. Rodolphus looked at Rose, but didn't say anything. "Not every man would agree to have his wife sleep with her cousin, a cousin she hates. I bet she and Sirius are getting along quite well. I promised to let Sirius try 'alternative' methods of intimacy once I was home for break…"

"You're a dirty, rotten, mudblood." Rodolphus said bitterly. Rose was enjoying playing with Rodolphus' mind. She knew that she'd pay for it, but she figured that she was going to die soon anyway, why not cause him some irreversible marital problems before she died?

"I think that's the first time I've heard you speak without Bellatrix acting as puppet master." Rose commented. 

"Why don't you shut up?" Rodolphus said dangerously.

"Why? Afraid that Bellatrix might enjoy Sirius? Afraid you can't compete wi-"

Rodolphus backhanded Rose and drew his wand. His chest was heaving. He pointed the wand not at Rose's head or chest like most wizards would do, but at her stomach.

"I said SHUT UP." Rodolphus said, his hand trembling with rage. Rose knew that he wouldn't do anything that would kill the babies. Voldemort forbade it, at Snape's request.

Rodolphus stormed out of the room. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Sirius, do you think that Rose is feeling well?" Harry asked quietly. He and Sirius were alone in the study, but he didn't want to be overheard.

"I think that she's dealing with a lot right now." Sirius said sighing. "I'm not sure if she's sorted out all the hurt I caused when I came back. I know that she loves me despite of what I did, but she still has to process all her emotions… I don't know if you knew, but Remus was going to start to date her…" Sirius explained.

~_and Snape too._~ Harry added mentally. 

"If I hadn't come back, they'd be together… Now Remus is dating Bambi and she's practically the anti-Rose in many ways. I don't know how she does it." Sirius looked as if a ton of guilt had been removed from his shoulders just by sharing that bit of information. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… she's been acting odd and the other night-" Harry was going to tell Sirius about his disturbing dream, but Rose bustled in.

"Hey, love." Rose said blankly. She sat down next to Sirius, putting her hand on his arm.

"We're back to physical contact then?" Sirius asked playfully. He'd had to suffer through almost a whole week without so much as a luscious kiss from his wife. 

"If you had to deal with the results of our physical contact and carry them around for 9 months, you'd be a bit reluctant too." Rose said withdrawing her hand from Sirius' arm.

"Honey, you've had _those_ melons for longer than nine months." Sirius said shamelessly. Right then, he was close to begging Rose for so much as an open mouth kiss. Harry was pink and getting pinker by the second.

"Err…I think I have to polish my broom…" Harry said excusing himself. ~_More like I have to gag myself with my broom…_~ Harry thought as he shut the door behind him, no one should have to listen to that.

Sirius, his mind being very much in the gutter, thought Harry meant something that he didn't… "Do you think he meant?…" He asked Rose.

"Meant what?" Rose thought for a second, then her eyes got large. "Oohh… I don't think so… Do you ever _not_ think about sex?" Rose asked incredulously. 

Sirius smiled in an 'I-can't-help-it' way. Rose rolled her eyes.

"I've been meaning to ask you, what have you been doing for Dumbledore lately. We haven't talked about that in a while." Rose said, scooting closer to Sirius.

"Well, after Peter was captured…" Sirius divulged to Rose what he'd been doing and what Remus had been working on. Rose drank up every word.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose was slightly surprised when the door opened again. ~_Twice in a day and a half, not bad, not bad at all._~ Rose thought as her visitor walked in.

Snape was carrying a tray with some food on it. He looked pissed off. Snape didn't say anything to Rose. He set the tray down to Rose's left, drew his wand, and untied her from the pillar.

"Eat." He said shortly. Rose thanked him by devouring the food in silence. "That was really, really stupid of you." He finally said squatting so he could be eye level with Rose. She didn't need to ask what was stupid. 

"I risked a lot saying that the babies are mine… They asked a lot of questions." Snape said flaring his nostrils in anger. "I can't go and send an owl to Dumbledore telling him of your predicament, that would be too obvious." Snape sighed deeply. "I don't know how long it'll take your precious husband to figure out that his cousin is posing as his wife." Snape paused to ponder that for a moment, then he remembered that time was of the essence and continued. "I don't know if I can protect you right now. Rodolphus is pissed. He's asked permission to torture you more and in new ways." Snape said, a worried expression wore across his face. "I…I don't know what they're going to do… I don't think they'll kill you or the babies but…" Snape looked as if the worse was coming. "I can't stop them."

Rose had finished the food. "I don't expect you to try. You saved the life of my children. I couldn't ask you to jeopardize your life any further." Rose said in a voice that wouldn't even qualify as a whisper.

There was a sound outside the door. Snape stood up abruptly, picking the tray up. "I'm sorry." He mouthed as he swept out of the room.

Lucius, Peter, and Rodolphus stood at the door with triumphant smiles on their faces. Rose's stomach lurched; she knew exactly what they were there to do.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Snape stormed to a secluded section of the manor. He had to think. ~_I could send an owl to Dumbledore… that would be too incriminating…_~ 

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the walls. Rose's pleas for mercy could be heard in the furthest reaches of the estate. Snape felt his insides burn. He knew exactly what those bastards were doing to Rose… he had to stop it. ~_No one deserves to be degraded like that…_~ Snape thought angrily. 

Snape grabbed his wand. He knew he couldn't charge in there and stop them… ~_Fire! I could set fire to something!_~ He thought triumphantly. Snape tore down the hall. By luck, he passed a sleeping Goyle on the way. ~_Use his wand, keep mine clean_.~ Snape lifted the wand and continued on his way. Snape perched himself outside of an open widow to the room. He couldn't bring himself to look upon Rose being ravished in the most foul of ways. ~_Just set the damn curtains on fire._~ He told himself.

"Incendio," Snape said aiming Goyle's wand at the curtains. Snape dropped Goyle's wand and apparated to the room that he had been in earlier. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Checkmate." Ginny said for the 12th time that day. This time, Draco was her victim. "Ron, why won't you play me?" She asked setting the board up again.

"Cause, he doesn't want to be beat by his sister." Hermione said sniggering, she knew that was the only reason why. 

"That's not why…" Ron said defensively. "I… I don't want to humiliate Ginny." Ron said lamely. 

"_Riiight_," Hermione said playfully. 

"I'm concerned for Rose." Harry said out of the blue. 

Everyone looked at Harry with a bit of shock. "Why?" Ginny finally asked.

"I don't know. She's been taking a lot of potion lately… I wonder if everything's alright with her." He said as if the whole comment had been an afterthought instead of something that had been consuming his thoughts. 

"She has to take that…" Ron said simply.

"Hey you guys." Sirius said opening the door. He was smiling broadly, then frowned slightly when he saw the environment of the room. "Did I miss something?" He asked looking around the room.

"Where's Rose at?" Harry asked, he'd hate it if she heard his paranoid theory.

"She's at the market with Molly, why?" Sirius asked, his concerned expression growing. 

"Well… we need to talk… I had this dream…" Harry started.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Lucius, Rodolphus, and Peter didn't have any difficulties putting the fire out. Apparently, the flames had gotten some of their trousers, causing them to run around commando. Voldemort held a meeting to ascertain how that happened. 

Goyle was in the hot seat, since his wand was found near the windowsill.

"I don't know how my wand got there, my Lord!" He pleaded.

Voldemort had already tortured Goyle quite a bit. "How do you think it got there?" He asked his dim-witted minion. 

"I- I don't know Master. Maybe Black stole it." He said frantically. 

"I think she was occupied with 'other' business at the time the fire started." Snape said curtly. Lucius, Peter, and Rodolphus sniggered at the comment.

"Too right you are, Snape." Voldemort hissed. "Do _you_ have any theories as to how this happened?"

"It could be that someone has infiltrated the manor and used the wand to make sure that Black isn't guarded for a while so that they could help her escape." Snape offered. He wished that was the truth.

Voldemort seemed to accept that Snape didn't have anything to do with the fire, mainly because he started to laugh. "You think _they_ could get her out of here?" 

"I don't think she'll be able to stand up straight for a week, let alone walk!" Lucius interjected, sparing Snape from answering.

The Death Eaters burst into a course of crude laughter. Snape forced laughter out of his lips.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"I just don't think she's been herself lately and coupled with the dream I had, it should be looked into." Harry concluded to his godfather.

Sirius didn't want to believe Harry. He knew his wife, he'd know an imposter… wouldn't he? 

"What do you want me to do? Ask her tonight before we go to bed? 'By the way, Honey, are you really you, or are you Bellatrix?'" Sirius said the first female name that popped into his mind. "That would go over well."

"Rose did a lesson about this in the beginning of the year. Remember?" Hermione said looked towards the others for reaffirming. 

"Of course I remember. I got landed with all those detentions." Draco said with a twinge in his voice.

"Well, she said that one way to be sure if someone was who they are is to make them not drink _anything_ for an hour." Hermione said knowledgeably. 

"Yeah, but she drinks that potion religiously…" Sirius said uncertainly. He didn't like this at all, but he had to admit that Harry brought up some good points.

"That would be easy to remedy. Remember that story Rose told us this summer about the Time Released Sleeping Potion? With Peter and how he knew about it the whole time…" Ginny waited to the others to register the thought. Draco just sat there; he didn't have an inkling as to where she was going with this.

"We could use give that potion to Rose in her dinner, she'd sleep the whole night through… and if she's Rose, it won't matter." Ginny reasoned. Everyone but Sirius seemed to buy into it.

"We don't keep these potions on hand, Ginny. What if you guys are just reading into her behavior wrongly and it hurts her or the babies?" Sirius said nervously. 

"It won't," Hermione said. "I remember reading it."

"Doesn't Bambi make potions for a living?" Draco asked. He hadn't been able to offer much help to this endeavor. 

Sirius thought for a moment and realized all his excuses for noncompliance had been eradicated. "Ok… I'll get the potion tomorrow… I just hope Bambi doesn't ask too many questions…"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose lay on the floor of her prison. One of Rose's eyes was swollen shut. She couldn't stand up very well and she couldn't sit without substantial amounts of pain either. Rose couldn't muster the will to wrap the sheet around her, she had managed to pull it over her. Rose couldn't shut her eyes for fear of reliving every defiling detail and every lecherous utterance. Rose could feel it, she wanted to break. She wanted to die.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Just thought I'd end on a happy note. Review! 


	24. Duele

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'd like to own Sirius Black though…

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

I should have said this before my previous chapter too, but this is a **dark** chapter. Be warned! 

Sirius knocked at Remus' door the next morning. Remus answered in his boxers.

"Hey, Sirius! What are you doing here this early? Come in, I'm about to freeze" Remus let his friend in.

"It might be because you're gallivanting around in your boxers, but what do I know?" Sirius joked. He didn't really want to move on to the purpose of his visit.

"One day I'll learn." Remus was smiling. When Sirius didn't return his smile, Remus' expression softened and his brow furrowed. "Everything alright, Padfoot?"

Sirius sighed as he slumped into a chair next to the dining room table. He ran a hand through his hair and stared determinedly at the floor and sighed again.

"Sorry mate, I don't speak sigh." Remus said pulling a chair up next to Sirius.

Sirius changed his focus from the floor to Remus' knees, which where rather hairy. "It's Rose," he muttered. 

Remus wished that Sirius would stop being so damn vague, but was patient with him. "Is she ill?" Remus probed.

"No… I don't know. She hasn't been herself lately. I'm not talking about mood swings or regular pregnancy things. She's been acting different." Sirius said ambiguously. 

"How so?" Remus asked, again showing forbearance. 

"Well… She's been talking like she's English." Sirius said lamely.

"So?"  
  
"She usually doesn't. She's lived here for a good portion of her life and never thought to start before. And it doesn't sound like she's trying to either. She uses words like she's never used anything else. I asked her about it, I thought it had to do with something Bambi said… Now she's talking another way. It's not English and it's not how she usually talks either…" Sirius explained.

"Is that all?" Remus asked feeling concerned.

"No… She didn't want Mexican food… it wasn't an 'I'm not in the mood tonight' thing. She was _repulsed_ at the idea."

"That is strange. Anything else?" 

"It's small things really. She won't let me so much as hug her, let alone kiss her. It started abruptly too. It's hard to explain… I know something's different, it's hard to put my finger on exactly what it is…" 

"Have you thought of any theories as to why she's been behaving like this?" Remus asked, hoping that Sirius had given the matter some objective thought.

"Harry has an idea… and a plan to see if it's true… that's why I'm here."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose managed to keep her mind sharp even though she wanted for her mind to dissipate and all her troubles to go with it. The Death Eaters took turns ravishing Rose. She stopped protesting after a while, and contained her sobs to silent ones. The Death Eaters became angry at her non-responsive behavior and would beat Rose if she didn't beg them to spare her. 

~_Maybe today they'll kill me._~ Rose thought hopefully. The only two thoughts that Rose sustained her over the day and a half this occurred. One was that if she died, her children would die so she couldn't kill herself or let the others kill her. The other thought that sustained Rose was that if she died, no one would be the wiser to whom was impersonating her… until February at least.

Rose really wanted to get hold of a wand. She wanted to see if she was still unable to do magic, or if that was a temporary ordeal. She didn't know what she'd do if she really was devoid of all magical ability. 

Rose could feel sleep taking over her body. She hadn't rested since she'd mouthed off to Rodolphus. Rose tried to fight it. Her eyes started to droop, her muscles relaxed, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Sirius took a deep breath. He wasn't use to putting potion in his wife's lunch… well not since school, but that was different. This was dark and sinister. Sirius and Draco offered to make lunch. Rose agreed, she hadn't been up to par with her cooking lately anyway. 

Sirius wasn't much help for the cooking part of the plan. He was in-charge of remembering what bowl was Rose's. Sirius was surprised how well the young wizard could cook.

They all ate lunch in silence. Sirius was 97% sure that he gave Rose the right bowl. After lunch they went up to the study so they could read or do homework. It didn't take long for the potion to kick in.

Sirius and Harry exchanged nervous glances as they watched Rose sleep. 

"What if we're wrong?" Harry asked nervously. He chose an impeccable time to get cold feet. 

"What if we're not?" Sirius replied.

So they sat and watched. Draco, Hermione, and Ron sat in the background watching apprehensively. 

After about 45 minutes, Sirius gasped in horror. Before his eyes, his wife melted away and part by part was replaced by his cousin, Bellatrix.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Sirius, that feels great…" Rose murmured. "My back hurts so much, the way you're- it's great." Rose said drowsily. The back rub continued without any response from the rubber.

After a few minutes of pleasure, Rose realized that she wasn't at home and she wasn't in her cell either. She was on a soft bed and had clothes on. Rose opened her eyes all the way and tried to see her surroundings. She couldn't tell where she was. Rose sat up, pulling away from her masseuse, causing Rose to look at the person she had mistaken for Sirius.

"_Lucius?_" Rose asked unnecessarily. Even without glasses, Rose could recognize that man anywhere. 

A perverse smile formed on Lucius' face. "I've always been good with my hands." He said smoothly.

Rose tried to work out what happened. ~_I was in that room for… I don't know 6 days… I fell asleep and I wake up in a nice room with clothes on…_~ It wasn't making sense to Rose.

"I can see the confusion on your face. The Dark Lord has a reason for giving you these accommodations." Lucius said loftily. 

Rose was careful not to say anything that would piss Lucius off, she learned what being a smart-ass would get her. "Why?" Was the only thing Rose could think to say that wouldn't include a sarcastic remark.

"You'll see." Lucius said leaving Rose in her windowless cell.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Harry and Sirius went into frenzy at 'Rose's' true identity. Hermione calmed them down.

"Hold on a minute!" She said loudly. "We only have a short amount of time before _she_ wakes up. Panicking won't do us any good." Hermione said authoritatively. "We need to tell Dumbledore and see what he knows or what ideas he has." Sirius left to do that. "We have to think of a good story as to why 'Rose' fell asleep and where we were when she transformed. We have to act like nothing is up. If she suspects that we know, we could be in danger."

"We've been in danger since she's been here." Draco said truthfully. He was now worried that his father knew where he was and was planning on doing something to the real Rose as a result.

They all took a moment to think about what Draco said, then they remembered that time was short so they jumped on the ball.

"We could say that when she fell asleep, we went into another room so she could sleep." Ginny suggested.

"That would work." Ron agreed.

"We should leave then, that way we can talk somewhere that she's not." Harry said eyeing Bellatrix like she was more detestable that Umbridge had been.

They went downstairs and saw Sirius perched by the fireplace talking frantically with Dumbledore.

"You're absolutely sure?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes! Bellatrix Lestrange is sleeping in the study, posing as Rose!" Sirius said gesturing towards the room.

"That may be why Severus hasn't reported back to me…" Dumbledore said thoughtfully. 

Sirius didn't have the patience to wait for Dumbledore to feel so inclined at to explain what he meant. "What does Snape have to do with this?"

"He went to a Death Eater meeting last week and he hasn't come back… if Rose is there, that could be why he stayed…"

"Where was the meeting?" Sirius asked as if he was about to bolt out he door and go get Rose himself.

"He wasn't sure. He thought it was going to be at Malfoy Manor…sometimes they'll arrive at one place and discover it's really at another location."

Sirius glanced at Draco thoughtfully, then he returned his attention to the fireplace. "What should we do."

"Don't do anything until I instruct you to. Keep a close eye on her, feed her some false information. DON'T GO AFTER ROSE YOURSELF." Dumbledore said sternly. "I'll call the Order for a meeting here-"

Dumbledore's voice was drown out by the sound of Bellatrix swearing at the top of her lungs. Apparently, she was awake. 

"I'll hold the meeting tonight." Dumbledore said as he vanished from the fireplace.

Sirius bolted up the stairs, as he would do if Rose woke up screaming and swearing.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Remus was the first person to arrive to the meeting that night. Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley were next. Kingsley and Tonks came in, closley followed by the Order's newest member, Amelia Bones. Minerva was privy to what happened, but couldn't make it to the meeting because they needed someone to maintain peace in the Great Hall while the students ate. Mrs. Weasley came in last, she looked thoroughly worried. 

"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice." Dumbledore thought he should at least start by being cordial, it may be the only happy note of the whole meeting. "We are here because one of our own has been taken by Voldemort. Rose has been kidnapped and she was replaced with an imposter." Dumbledore said gravely. No one spoke, they all looked as if someone had said 'it's snowing' and mooned them. 

Remus was the first to find his voice. "Sirius knows, right?" 

"He knows. Sadly, he and Harry witnessed the person they had thought was Rose, transform into Bellatrix Lestrange. She doesn't know that they know, so we still have the upper hand." Dumbledore said firmly.

"Why aren't we forcing Lestrange to tell us where Rose is?" Fred asked, indignant with disbelief.

"We don't know if Bellatrix is in contact with Voldemort. If she is, causing her to cease contact with him would alert Voldemort that we're on to him." Dumbledore explained.

"What about Snape?" Tonks asked. 

"As far as I know, he's aware of the situation and he's doing his best to help out." Dumbledore said patiently.

"Why hasn't he rescued her?" Amelia asked.

"He's a spy, he knows better than to reveal that." Dumbledore said gravely.

"What are we going to do?" Mr. Weasley asked, cutting to the chase.

"I need some of you to go to Malfoy Manor, that's the most definitive location of the Death Eater meeting. This is the floor plan to Malfoy Manor." Dumbledore flicked his wand and a massive image projected in front of him. "We can enter into the dungeon from the south side of the estate. That's the place where they're probably keeping Rose." Dumbledore made another gesture with his wand and he indicated the south side.

"I've determined that Rose is likely being held in one of these four rooms." Dumbledore indicated them with his wand and the room stayed illuminated after his wand moved away. "We'll go in groups of two, I'll go in alone. Tonks and Kingsley will pair up and Remus and Amelia will pair up. I want-"

"Wait, aren't we going?" Fred asked with his eyebrows raised.

"No, you and George will help us on the other end. I'll say how you two come in later." Dumbledore said, silencing the two. "Tonks, Kingsely, I want the two of you to cover this room. Remus, Amelia, I want you two to search this room. I'll go to these two rooms. If one of the groups finds Rose, they are to set off one firework." Fred and George grinned broadly. 

"Won't there be guards?" Mr. Weasley interjected. 

"Yes, that's also how Fred and George will come in handy. Do you still have that swamp you set off last year?" Dumbledore asked. Fred and George nodded again, grinning even broader. "Good, I want the two of you to sneak into the main hall and set it off. Don't stick around! Once it's off, I want you to go here." Dumbledore indicated a shed on the estate. "There's a fireplace there. I want you to floo over to Grimmauld Place and apprehend Bellatrix. Sirius will help you. If no one objects to doing this, we'll apparate at dawn." Dumbledore looked around the circle.

"I have one question," Arthur said. "Do you want Molly and I to do anything?"

"Yes, I do. Molly, I'd like you to go to Grimmauld Place right away. Your presence there will alert Sirius to the fact that something is up. Arthur, I'd like you to make arrangements at St. Mungo's for Rose. I fear that she is in the worst of physical states…"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Despite the comfortable nature of her new environment, it made Rose uneasy. She wasn't able to monitor the passing of time, as she was in her other room. And Rose knew that Voldemort wouldn't make her so comfortable without expecting something out of her in return.

Rose hadn't allowed herself to sleep since Lucius had inadvertently waken her up. She didn't want to wake up to any other surprises. Rose had been given food. She ate it reluctantly. 

While Rose was counting the number of blocks that compiled the walls for the 12th time (it was a habit of hers when she felt nervous) the door opened and Voldemort came in, followed by Lucius and Rodolphus. Rose didn't stand up, she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I trust that you've found your new accommodations fitting?" Voldemort said in a snake-like voice. Rose nodded. "And I see that you've learned to control your tongue." Voldemort hissed. Rose wanted to lash back, but looked at her stomach, thought of her children and stopped herself. Voldemort chuckled coldly. "As I'm sure you surmised, I expect something from you." 

Rose gulped. She feared what was coming next.

"You will tell me where Lucius' son is. You will tell me where Harry Potter is spending his Christmas break. You tell me how to get there and how to get in. You will draw all the others there with him away." Voldemort's voice was commanding.

Rose tried to stop herself, but she couldn't. "Why doesn't Bellatrix tell you where Harry is? She's in my position, she should know by now."

Lucius sat down right next to Rose. "Now, now," Lucius said putting his hand on Rose's stomach, causing her skin to crawl. "I'd hate it if something _bad_ were to happen to Snape's children… which _may_ happen if you don't cooperate." Lucius drawled into Rose's ear. 

Rose gulped. She thought about all the horrible things they could do to her children, killing them would of course be the worst.

"Beyond your own personal safety, if you don't cooperate with us, then I'll instruct Bellatrix to kill Sirius, Harry, and whoever else happens to be there." Voldemort said nastily.

Rose lowered her eyes, contemplating what exactly was at stake. 

"I'll give till dawn to think about it." With that, Voldemort left. Rodolphus followed Voldemort closely. Lucius lingered by Rose's side.

"You'll tell me where my son is, or at dawn, I'll make the past few days seem like a mild hazing." Lucius' hot breath lingered in Rose's ear after he left her to think over the choices that lay before her. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Harry sat pensively among his friends. They were suppose to act as if everything was normal, as if they didn't know that Rose was a fake. Harry couldn't handle it. He felt responsible. He had seen where Rose was. He knew before anything appeared out of place. His silence could have killed his godmother and her two babies. 

Ginny could sense Harry's surmounting guilt. It flashed across his green eyes every few minutes. She couldn't talk to him about it. That might expose that they know. Ginny sat close to Harry and kissed him on the cheek, as if to say "it's not your fault" and "I love you."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

George and Fred found Malfoy Manor rather easy to sneak into. Compared to Hogwarts, it was like a McDonald's jungle gym. Fred and George had added a special something to their swamp to ensure that Voldemort would be drawn to it. 

They didn't even have to go all the way into the Manor to implement their part of the plan. They both stood in the Entry Way. George was watching for Death Eaters and Fred was watching his watch. 

"It's six, we can do it now." Fred announced quietly. George Windgardium Levisoa-ed the swamp into the Foyer and set it off. Fred Windgardium Levisoa-ed a small package into the middle of the swamp, which was growing in size. Once it set down, it unfolded and out popped life sized Dumbledore and Harry images, magically projected as being stuck in the middle of the swamp. Fred and George both set off a three-minute delayed firecracker. They were halfway to the shed when it went off. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Rose stayed up the whole night trying to force her mind to make a decision. She kept going back and forth. She didn't want to betray anyone, but she didn't want to cause the death of her loved ones. Rose was in a pickle. 

At what must have been six o'clock, Rose heard someone outside the door. It was Voldemort. Rose watched in terror as the handle moved indicating that Rose would have to endure some more pain in a matter of moments. The door handle stopped moving, Voldemort didn't come in. 

Rose's terror left for one shimmering second; then it was quickly replaced with doubt and apprehension. Questions without answers flooded Rose's mind. Why wasn't Voldemort in there torturing her? What had averted his attention? Rose moved cautiously towards the door. 

Rose thought she heard some commotion, but it was too far away to discern any thing concretely. She thought she heard something outside her door so Rose lunged at the bed. Her body writhed and agony shot through her every fiber. When no one came through the door, Rose didn't bother moving. She couldn't muster the will to force herself more pain.

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"It's six am, we can go." Remus said tightening his grip around his wand. They all exchanged determined looks as they set into the manor. Dumbledore cautiously peered inside. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary confrontations. 

Dumbledore thought he saw a few robes swish around a corner, but it didn't matter. It wasn't in the direction they were headed. It was the opposite way.

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A sickly, twisted smile formed on Lucius' face as he and his Lord approached Rose's room. He was sure that Rose would fold and give him access to Potter and to his son's neck. The thought of Rose being "honorable" and not dialoguing any information made Lucius excited also. 

His perverse mind had thought of some new and invasive ways to harm Rose. Lucius eyed his master's hand excitedly as it rested on the doorknob. The Dark Lord started to turn it when a noise from the Foyer distracted him.

"It's Potter and Dumbledore!" They heard someone yell. Voldemort didn't want to bother with Black if Potter and Dumbledore were in his grasp. Lucius' eyes lingered on the door for a moment, then he tore down the hall after his master.

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Fred and George didn't wait to hear if anyone reacted to their diversion. Who could miss it? They traveled to Grimmauld Place with their wands at the ready. They both stepped out of the fireplace and saw their mom waiting. 

"So they've started?" She asked getting up abruptly. She had been asleep on an armchair next to the fire.

"Yes." George said shortly.

"Where is she?" Fred asked urgently.

"I'm right here." An unfamiliar, cold voice said. It was Bellatrix. She still looked like Rose, but she had dropped the façade. Bellatrix has her (rather Rose's) wand pointed at them

"Rose, we were going to give you a baby shower present, remember?" George lied cunningly. 

"Do you think I'm dumb and blind, boy?" Bellatrix said coldly. "I knew once _she_ showed up that something was happening. You won't leave here alive." Bellatrix spat.

"You demented bitch. You think I'll let you harm my friends?" Sirius said taking Bellatrix into a chokehold. Bellatrix flailed her arms, trying to get free.

Fred and George, who had been watching in horror, joined in on the rumble. Sirius had to tell himself every .23 seconds that he wasn't beating on his wife, it was a Death Eater.

It only took them a few minutes to subdue Bellatrix. Sirius bound her to a chair and pocketed his wife's wand. 

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Ron watched from the landing as his mom came to the door. From her looks, something was up. With one piercing glare, she sent him upstairs. He could hear her making conversation with Sirius and the imposter. It made him sick.

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Rose's eyes shot open when the doorknob gears started to grind again. She didn't the energy to move through the pain. Her body was anguished just lying still, she couldn't fathom putting up the defense she needed to defend herself.

The door opened this time. Instead of Voldemort rearing his ugly head, it was Remus that poked his head in. Rose squinted really hard to make sure she wasn't seeing things. After Remus, a person she vaguely recognized as Amelia Bones came in.

"Remus?" Rose croaked. 

Remus sat next to Rose, setting her upright. Rose's body tensed up in pain. "It's me. You know Amelia, don't you?" Rose nodded.

"We're here to get you out of here." Amelia said trying to confine her shock at seeing Rose so bruised and with tiny abrasions all over.

"Let's go towards the meeting point." Remus said shouldering most of Rose's weight. 

"This will be faster." Amelia said using the locomotorcorpis charm on Rose.

Remus looked at Amelia with mixed gratitude and admiration. 

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Sirius kept his wand on Bellatrix, barely blinking. He wanted her to try to escape. He wanted a reason to hex her into oblivion. Sirius started to order what curses he'd use and which he'd use first. He even considered using the Unforgivable Curses on her. 

Sirius' sadistic thoughts were interrupted when Arthur came into the kitchen. Sirius glanced up, Arthur looked grim.

"I'll handle her from here. Fred and George will help me. Molly will watch the kids. You can go to St. Mungo's, Rose needs you now."

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I hope you liked it. I know I haven't had much Harry action in the past few chapters. I thought that this was more 'adult' based and the teenage quarbbles would fit in with this chapter. 

Review!


	25. Made you Flinch

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'd like to own Sirius Black though…

A/N: Any text in italics, enclosed with ~ ~ are a person's thoughts, I'll try to indicate whose.

"She's in there," Remus said indicating a room marked 8.

Sirius acknowledged this with a nod and pushed the door open.

The room wasn't brightly lit. There were decorations up, but Sirius was oblivious to them. Only one thing in the room was important enough for Sirius to note- his wife.

The first thing Sirius noted was Rose's black eye. Then he noticed multiple lacerations on her face and arms. Much to Sirius' disdain, Rose wore a pained expression- even in her slumber. Sirius wondered what exactly was haunting his wife in her sleep. 

Sirius stood at his wife's bedside. He gently cupped Rose's hand and grimaced as her arm tensed and her brow furrowed as if she didn't recognize his touch. Sirius heard Rose take a stifled breath as her shoulder started to tense up also. Sirius wanted to let go of his wife, but he was resolute to see this through. He told himself that he had to stick in there. Sirius thought it best to calm his sleeping rose by stroking her hand his this thumb.

Rose's breath returned to normal and the muscles in her arm and shoulder relaxed. Sirius' heart told him to smile. But how could he smile at such a small thing. He didn't even know what Rose had endured, and he was there trying to help her through it.

"I'm sorry, Rose." Sirius said to his dormant wife. "I- I should have known. I should have gone with them- I-" Sirius' voice cracked. Tears started to run down his face and stung his lips. "I want to take away your pain. I… I wish it would have been me." He confided to his unresponsive love.

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Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and Ron had heard the commotion downstairs. They did as there were told, for once, and didn't go investigate. All five teens had their wands at the ready- just incase. 

"I hear someone!" Draco whispered urgently. The teenagers backed away from the door. The handle turned and they took in a collective breath.

"Hey gang." Mr. Weasley said, poking his head in. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "I hope you weren't using magic. I'd hate to arrest my own children." Mr. Weasley said, hoping to lighten the mood.

"No, sir. We were-" Draco wasn't sure what they were doing, or planning to do.

"We were waiting to see if everything went well." Ginny said semi-truthfully. They had been waiting; she didn't know how long they would have waited.

"How's Rose?" Harry asked, not wanting to wait for Mr. Weasley to bring it up. 

"Not too well. She'll live- we know that much for sure."

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It was a few hours before Rose woke up. Sirius spent that time at his wife's side, talking to the Healer. Sirius quickly learned that they didn't know anything for sure, which was the last thing that he wanted to hear.

"I realize you don't _know_ what happened. What do you _think_ happened?" Sirius asked testily. 

The Healer looked as if he'd rather be face-to-face with a Hippogriff that tell Sirius what they thought happened. But the Healer with against his better judgement and told Sirius their speculations.

"She was beaten- several times. It seems that they didn't feed her properly either." The Healer looked at Sirius' face to see if he had supplied enough information and continued right away. 

"The lacerations appear to be from being thrown against a coarse stone wall. Judging by the bruises on her wrists, she was tied up for sometime. From the bruises on her arms, legs, back, face, and chest she was punched and kicked. It appears that they spared her stomach… and…" The Healer's voice trailed off.

"**AND WHAT?**" Sirius barked, causing Rose to stir for a moment. "And what?" Sirius repeated in a whisper that lost none of its potency. 

"It looks like she was raped, sir." The Healer said, not looking at Sirius' face, but at his knees. If he had been looking at his face, he would have seen confusion, anger, and grief flash on Sirius' face.

"Now wait a minute. If they didn't harm her stomach or anything around the babies, why would they…" Sirius whispered the word rape. "her and damage them that way?" Sirius asked feeling slightly puzzled. 

The Healer, who had finally looked at Sirius' face, returned his gaze to Sirius' knees.

"They didn't damage… it was…" The Healer tried to find the right words, none came, there weren't any in the English Language, or any language.

Sirius no longer needed an explanation of how his wife had been violated. He understood exactly how his wife had been ravished.

"You mean they…?" Sirius wanted to double check. The Healer nodded grimly. "A lot?" Sirius asked, not sure if he wanted the answer. The Healer nodded again.

Sirius was about to storm out of the room and kill the first wizard he passed, but Rose hand started to move. She blindly grasped Sirius' hand.

"Is that you, Sirius?" Rose asked, opening her eyes a bit. The one was still hard to open.

"It's me, Rose, it's me." Sirius said kissing his wife gently. Rose tensed up at the touch of his lips.

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Mr. Weasley wasn't a tactful person when it came to matters such as this. He hated explaining these things to teenagers; teens that he hoped didn't have any prior knowledge of the things they were hearing about.

Harry and Draco looked murderous when Mr. Weasley finished talking, each for different reasons. Harry wanted to die a slow and painful death, cut into a thousand little pieces for the pain he'd vicariously caused to his godmother. Draco wanted his father to die a death that would make live mummification seem like a day at the spa. 

Hermione and Ginny were crying silently. Hermione felt that she should have noticed a change in Rose's idiosyncrasies. Ginny could believe that human beings were capable of things like that. It made her sick to her stomach. 

Any emotion that Ron felt didn't register right away. The idea of the whole thing took him a while to wrap his mind around He sat there like a fish out of water, just opening and closing his mouth.

"We'll be off to St. Mungo's as soon as Madame Bones and Remus get here." Mr. Weasley said weakly. He knew that any other person would have said it better, but he was the one that had to do it. 

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Rose stared at her husband as if to ascertain his authenticity. Sirius just looked at his wife lovingly; he could feel tears burning his eyes.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Rose finally said. "I thought they were there to kill me when Remus and Amelia came in…" Rose was starting to get worked up.

Sirius put his finger on Rose's lips, causing her to stop talking. "The important thing is that you're safe and here with me. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you. That'd be loosing three people at once." Sirius said, removing his finger from Rose's face.

"I hurt, Sirius. My body…me. I'm in pain." Rose said looking rather strained. "Have the Healers examined me? Do they know if the babies are alright?" Rose asked sitting up despite the visible pain it put her in.

"I haven't asked him yet. I asked about you." 

"What did the Healer say?" Rose asked earnestly. Besides being in pain, she didn't know how she was doing.

"He said that you were beaten… a lot and that you had been…r- r-" Sirius couldn't say it. He felt like flogging himself for being such an ass. He couldn't even say something that his wife had been through. Rose sat there complacently. "You'd been violated." Sirius finally managed.

Rose looked slightly let down. "He didn't say anything about the babies? Nothing?" Rose looked worried.

"No, honey, they didn't." 

"What if they're not alright, Sirius? It's all my fault. I mouthed off… I didn't cooperate… I was-" Rose would have gone on, but Dumbledore cut her off.

"You were being held by Voldemort. If you're talking fault, you should consider that your silence saved countless lives. You can blame yourself for saving Sirius, Harry, Draco, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Severus. If you had said anything, those people would have died. Maybe more." Dumbledore took a deep breath; that had been a mouthful, even for him.

"Yes sir… Do they know if my babies are healthy?" Rose persisted.

"As far as they can tell." Dumbledore said consolingly. Rose looked like that was sufficient for now. "Could you tell what you can remember from your captivity?"

Sirius would rather push the week's happenings out of Rose's mind forever, but he yielded his opinion and made his opposition known by his sour expression.

Rose took a deep breath in. "The first thing I remember…" Rose dove into her explanation of her incarceration.

Rose was grateful that Dumbledore didn't interrupt her for the majority of her telling. Rose was painfully aware of Sirius' discomfort at hearing about this. Sirius' face twisted in mingled anger and disgust when Rose said that Snape claimed to be the father of Rose's children. Rose iterated that he saved the babies by doing that.

Rose got to the point where she mouthed off to Rodolphus and forged on. Beyond the physical pain, the ravaging didn't leave any emotional hurts, at least any she was aware of. Hearing Rose's unflinching recantation of her ordeal caused both Dumbledore and Sirius to believe that Rose hadn't quite processed what she'd been put through.

Rose finished her recollection and looked just as worn out as when she was first brought in.

"Where's Harry and the others?" Rose asked. She hadn't seen her godson in a whole week. She was worried about how Harry was handling this.

"He's at Grimmauld Place with Arthur and the others are with them…He dreamt about you." Sirius blurted out. "He saw you being threatened by Voldemort and beat by Peter…"

"He did? Hasn't he been practicing Occulmency?" Rose asked worriedly. "Has the dreaming started again?"

"Just the one." Sirius said firmly.

"What are you getting at, Honey?" Rose asked with her brow furrowed.

"Nothing. I was just – nothing." Sirius couldn't verbalize his thoughts since he wasn't sure what his thoughts were. "Are you hungry?" Sirius asked to fill in the awkward silence.

"I'm starved! Can I eat?" Rose asked, she wasn't sure if the Healers had her on any sort of dietary restrictions or not.

"Until they say otherwise, you many eat whatever you desire." Dumbledore said reasonably. Sirius jumped slightly, he had forgotten that Dumbledore was still there.

"Good," Rose paused for a moment to contemplate what foods she'd eat first. "I'd like some refried beans, Jiffy Pop, pickles, Caesar Salad, and corn tortillas." Rose finally decided. 

"I'll go tell the kitchens." Dumbledore said, excusing himself.

Sirius couldn't hide his smirk. "You've always had an odd taste in food."

"It's not nearly as odd as my taste in men." Rose teased. Her isolation hadn't taken any potency from her wit.

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To Harry, even the Floo ride to St Mungo's took an eternity. He wanted to see his godmother. From the sound of it, everyone from Kingsley to Arbella Fig had been to see Rose before him.

Remus and Madame Bones had taken their time getting to Grimmauld Place, or so it seemed to Harry. 

Mr. Weasley made it so they could Floo right to the waiting room outside of Rose's room. 

Harry stepped out of the fireplace and examined his surroundings. He recognized this floor as the same one they found Neville's mum an dad on. Harry wondered why they put Rose on this floor.

The others came right after Harry. Mr. Weasley came out of the fireplace last. 

"Aren't Remus and Madame Bones coming?" Ron asked. 

"No, we want people at the house incase… er… certain people discovered its location." Mr. Weasley said evasively.

Harry looked at the doors in front of him. He didn't want to procrastinate further. "Which is hers?" He asked simply.

"This one," Mr. Weasley said, opening door 8. Harry was the first in. He was glad that Rose was awake.

"Hiya, Rose." Harry said shyly. Rose put her plate down and smiled slightly.

"Harry! I've been so worried about you!" Rose opened her arms for a hug. Harry did so carefully. Harry only hugged his godmother briefly.

"You were worried about me?" Harry asked disbelievingly. 

Rose nodded. "With that person around…" Rose's face screwed up in disgust. Harry decided to change the subject.

"What are you eating?" He asked. Rose picked her plate up, she had to look for the fork, Sirius was holding it.

"Pickles, Jiffy Pop, refried beans, Caesar Salad, and corn tortillas." Rose said while chewing on a corn tortilla. 

Harry looked questioningly at Sirius. Sirius smiled slightly. Then he started to laugh.

"What?" Rose asked swallowing a bite of pickle. "All good things." She said defensively.

"Yes, they are. Just not together, that's all." Sirius said lovingly. 

"Are the others here too?" Rose asked.

Harry nodded. "I'll grab them." Harry stepped out for a moment and came back with everyone else.

Rose was swarmed with everyone well wishing. Draco excluded himself from the crowd along with Harry. After they'd all had a saying to Rose, Sirius asked that they'd all give her some room to breathe.

Despite her desire to talk with everyone, Rose felt exhaustion taking over. "I think I'll take a nap." Rose yawned.

"That's what I was about to suggest." Sirius said agreeingly. 

Everyone, save Sirius, exited the room. Sirius took his seat by Rose's bed.

"I'll never leave your side." Sirius vowed as Rose drifted off to sleep.

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"Is it alright if we go get some tea?" Ron asked his dad after leaving Rose's room.

"Don't wander too far." Mr. Weasley said casting a paternal gaze over them.

"Okay, Dad." Ginny said sweetly.

"Not like we could travel far, the tea room is just down the hall." Hermione chuckled.

Harry and Draco remained silent while the others laughed.

"What's the matter with the two of you?" Ron demanded. 

"Nothing!" They both said.

"Come on, like we're going to but _that_ one." Hermione said in a borderline scolding voice.

They were all seated at a table with their tea now. 

"Harry, you don't blame yourself for what happened, do you?" Ginny asked, putting her hand on Harry's knee. 

"You know that you couldn't have known that was real. You saved Rose, Harry. You alerted Sirius when the rest of us didn't give her odd behavior a second thought." Hermione said ruefully. 

Harry nodded absent-mindedly. He didn't feel like arguing with them.

"And Draco, you don't feel responsible for your father's actions do you?" Ron of all people asked. "You're not him. He's a totally different person." Ron said firmly.

"Is he?" Draco asked raising his brow. "I'm made of the same things, the same blood runs through my veins, the same weakness…"

"Yes, but a sword and a stove are made from the same things, but they have other purposes, other destinies- even though they come from the same place." Hermione said wisely.

"Your parents don't say who you are. Your actions will do that." Ginny chipped in.

Draco nodded and sipped his tea. "Do you think Rose will get her powers back?" Draco asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. I've never read about any witch or wizard being stripped of their magical ability…" Hermione said uncertainly.

"They should be able to find a counter-curse or antidote…" Ron muttered.

"He cursed her… curses can be lifted." Harry said if anyone, to himself.

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Snape staggered into Grimmauld Place. His wand haphazardly drawn. Remus and Amelia heard the door open and close and went upstairs to investigate. They had their wands out- just in case.

When they got up there, Snape was precariously leaning against and old grandfather clock. He looked half-dead.

"Snape?" Remus asked. He knew who it was, he wanted to ascertain Snape's level of conscienceness. Snape didn't reply verbally. He just made a slight hand gesture. 

"Here let me help you." Remus said rushing to Snape's side, letting Severus burden his shoulder.

Remus led Snape to the nearest chair and let him in it.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

It appeared that Snape was having trouble getting his words from his brain to tongue.

"Mad- Dark Lord- very mad." He managed, panting slightly. 

Amelia disappeared for a moment and returned with a glass of water.

"Here, Severus. Drink this." Snape sipped the water.

"Thank you." Snape said, gaining control over his breathing. "The Dark Lord is angry. He tortured the buggers that found the swamp. He wants to kill Rose now. I mean really kill her."

"What happened to you, Severus?" Remus asked.

"The Dark Lord tortured me. He wanted someone to blame. He told me that I could be spared one way- Only if I alert him the moment that Rose has her babies. That is how I made it here."

"You need to go to St. Mungo's…" Amelia decided. Severus looked like Rictusemperum would take him out.

"What will I tell them? That I was tortured at a Death Eater Kidnapping Meeting? That would raise a few eyebrows." Snape said sarcastically.

Amelia started to cower slightly. She wasn't use to receiving tongue lashings such as that.

"Amelia has a point. You need medical attention. I'm sure that Arthur could set something up for you, like he did Rose." Remus said firmly. Amelia looked pleased that Remus backed her up.

"Fine, have it your way." Severus snapped. He was in no predicament to argue with Remus.

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Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Draco were doubling back to the waiting room when they saw Remus acting as a crutch to an undistinguishable figure.

They all watched in curiosity as Remus guided the person into Rose's room. The five exchanged a determined look and walked nonchalantly to the door. They wanted to see who that was. They all stood outside the door for a few minutes, as if they were waiting for the door to open itself. Harry reached for the doorknob, unable to wait any longer. Before Harry could open the door, Mr. Weasley stepped out, blocking any view of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Sorry gang. It's best if you don't go in there right now." He said after the door was shut.

"Who was that, Dad?" Ron asked.

"That's Order business." Mr. Weasley said in a hushed voice. "If you don't mind waiting, Molly will be by here to take you all home." Mr. Weasley said at his normal voice level.

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Sirius was watching Rose. She sleeping, but he had a haunting feeling that if took his eyes from her for too long, she'd disappear. Sirius was a horrible host to Mr. Weasley, who was in the room incase something happened. Arthur didn't mind. He actually enjoyed just sitting without any pressing matter to deal with.

The only thing that diverted Sirius' attention from Rose was Serverus' arrival. When they heard the door open, Sirius and Arthur drew their wands. Once they realized it was Remus, Mr. Weasley aided him in handling Severus.

Sirius looked on questioningly, but didn't leave Rose's side. Remus and Arthur put Snape in the bed parallel to Rose's. Sirius looked at his friend, his facial expression asked the question for him.

"He was tortured by Voldemort, badly. He was sent out to spy on Rose." Remus explained. 

"What does he want to know?" Arthur asked before Sirius could say anything.

"When the babies are born," Remus said shortly. "I think I passed the kids on my way in…"  
  
"No need to say more." Mr. Weasley went to the door and slipped out.

"How's Rose doing?" Remus asked concernidly.

"I think she's doing alright- considering." Sirius looked at his wife again. "I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself…"  
  
"It's _not_ your fault Padfoot." Remus said sternly. "You need to be strong for Rose. Like she'd be strong for you. She'd-" Remus stopped lecturing when a Healer came in.

"I'm here to examine Mr. Snapay." The Healer said, butchering Snape's name. Remus and Sirius kept straight faces. Snape tried to leer, but the relay between his brain and facial muscles weren't in sync. 

"Do you need help with him?" Remus asked masking his amusement with a look of concern. 

"Is he your lover?" The Healer asked. Sirius snorted, he covered by pretending to sneeze.

"No…" Remus said delicately. He decided enough was enough. He should be nice. After all, Snape saved Rose's life.

"It's alright, I can handle Snapay by myself." The Healer said determinedly. 

Remus thought it was a good thing that patients weren't allowed their wands, otherwise the Healer would've been cursed beyond recognition.

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Mrs. Wealsey looked weary when she stepped off the elevator. Arthur rushed to meet his wife and whispered urgantly in her ear. Molly turned pale.

"Come on, kids. We're going home." She said tiredly. They followed her to the fireplace.

"Mrs. Weasley, ma'am, where do you mean by home?" Draco asked for clarification.

"The Burrow, dear."

Draco wasn't entirely sure what that was, but at least he knew what to say. Draco was the first to Floo to the Burrow.

When he stepped out of the fireplace, he thought he had stepped into a fairytale. He was use to a house with magical apparatuses, but the Burrow was a home, not just a dwelling like Malfoy Manor.

Draco instantly drew several comparisons between the Burrow and Malfoy Manor. The Burrow didn't have a museum-like feel to it. Draco could tell that people lived there. Not because it was immaculate, like his mother said was an indicator that people were somewhere. But because it was untidy in places. 

Draco was shocked when he turned around and the Weasley twins had their wands on him.

"What are you doing here?" One of them asked. He wasn't sure which.

"We're coming from St. Mungo's." Draco said hastily. 

"You know, Fred, we should send him straight back, he thinks there's more than one of him." George said convincingly.

"The others are coming!" Draco said defensively. Fred raised an eyebrow as if to as to say, "other's who?" "Your mum, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron should be right behind me."

Ginny stumbled out of the fireplace, as if on Que. Draco sighed, he didn't want to be at the mercy of Fred and George any longer.

"The others are coming, we ran into Bambi. It looks like she's going to try and make a potion to restore Rose's powers." Ginny said pleased with herself for conveying such important information. 

Fred and George were momentarily elated, then they remembered that they were trying to make Malfoy piss himself.

"Well, I guess your story will jive- this time. Next time, have a better excuse handy." Fred said holding in his grin.

Draco wasn't sure what was going on, but he was glad he didn't have two wands pointed at him anymore. 

"Hey Ginny." Harry said wrapping his arms about Ginny.

"Everyone else coming?" Ginny asked.

"Y-up." Harry made a noise that sounded like something Goofey would make because Ron ran into him.

"Sorry, mate. I didn't look before I stepped out." Ron explained. Harry and Ginny moved out of proximity of the fireplace.

Ron was brushing the soot from his clothes when Hermione stumbled into him. 

"We should move, your mum is coming." Hermione said giggling. Ron and Hermione moved out of the way.

Draco watched the other 4 with great curiosity. "What did I miss?" He wondered aloud. 

"Oh yeah, Remus and Bambi aren't dating anymore." Ginny explained.

"And she's still helping Rose?" Draco asked.

"It's her job. Hermione said expanding on Ginny's explanation.

Draco nodded in comprehension.

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Rose woke up in time to see a figure leave the room and hear Sirius snigger as he left.

"Who was that?" Rose asked. Sirius snapped his attention back to his wife.

"It was a Healer." Sirius said grinning despite himself.

"Oh, did he check me out again?" Rose asked Sirius. She hadn't noticed Remus yet. 

"He wasn't checking you, he was checking out Snapay." Remus chortled.

A groan came from the bed across the room. Rose thought it was empty. She strained to see.

"Shut it you ass." The voice groaned.

"Serverus?!" Rose asked. Remus nodded somberly. He kicked himself for joking around. "What's wrong with him? What did they do?" Rose was trying to sit up to see him properly.

"It's ok, Love. He'll be fine." Sirius said soothingly. Rose was still struggling to sit up. "Rose you could hurt yourself. Or cause more harm to the babies." Sirius said causing Rose to lay back. Rose tried to read the expression on Sirius' face.

"What do you mean, 'more harm'?" Rose asked worriedly. "Did the Healer say something to you?"

"No… I heard Bambi talking to them…" Sirius' voice trailed off.

"AND!" Rose demanded. She looked from Sirius to Remus. They had the same somber expression on their faces.

"They're not certain…" Remus began. Rose huffed impatiently. 

"They said that… They think that our children could… be squibs as a result of the curse Voldemort put on you…" Sirius managed. He didn't' want to burden his already worried love.

Rose laid back even further. "Do they think that there's any way to know for sure?" Rose asked.

"I don't think so" Remus started. "Even under regular circumstances, there's no way of knowing until they're a toddler, even older."

Rose sighed. "Squibs or not, I've having my children. Nothing will change my love for them."

Sirius kissed Rose's hand. She flinched slightly. Sirius had a feeling that he'd get that reaction for a long time.

"Sirius, when is Christmas?" Rose whispered.

"The day after tomorrow." Sirius whispered back.

"Good… can you do something for me?" Rose asked quietly.

HA! YES! I finally finished! Sorry it took so long. I hope you liked it. Review!


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